Follow the Gold

[whoiam]

Each of the group had been contacted, one after another. The message had been the same in all cases - it had told them to go to a particular village, wait for a particular day, and at dawn on that day, set off up a particular pathway.

This village was the first opportunity the strangers had to meet one another.

The villagers were none too forthcoming with the details - when they were asked about the pathway, their reply was generally a simple 'unless you've been invited up, don't go' - but they refused to discuss the matter further. Anyone travelling through and willing to question people in pubs would have learned a little more - that whatever was up the path was, to a large extent, responsible for the well-being of the village itself. But this was as far as even the drunkards could get before being hushed by their neighbours.

Ultimately, the allotted day came. The trail wound steeply up into the mountains. Here was the second chance for the strangers to meet one another: For there was noone but they on the path this day. A human walking unaided would need three hours, from leaving the village down in the foothills to reaching the top of the pathway: The point where it curved around a house-sized boulder... and behind it, there was nothing but an unmistakeable (and rather massive) hole in the mountainside.

The path clearly continued into the cave... only a few thin beams of light illuminating the rocky floor...

(Note: You get to choose when your characters meet up - The village, the path, or the cave mouth. You don't all have to meet one another at the same time.)

[4is111]

You said in the recruitment thread that we would have a chance to get equipment once the game started. Would I miss that by starting at the cave entrance?

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

A man who's countenance is darkened by the weather walks into the village, glancing around. Not one to trust blindly, he does ask after the path, but does not immediately make his way up it, instead checking around both for those who know of it, and those who seek of it.


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[industrious]

A tall, dark-skinned man in clothing stained and faded from travel entered the village. As dawn was over twelve hours away, the man entered one of the inns, sat himself in a quiet corner by a fireplace, and smiled as the he let the conversations wash over him.

[appending_doom]

Klaus

A short creature, cloaked in concealing brown and green robes from which poked a massive beak, entered the village late the night before, where she sought to engage the people in inquisitive conversation. Quickly shut down, she, too, began to ask about the others who had interest in the path from the village.

She spoke plainly but genially, and eventually settled at the table of the dark-skinned man.

"You look like you're waiting for something," she said quietly. "That puts you in a minority around here. Mind if I wait with you? I don't like sitting around on my own in strange towns."

[industrious]

"By all means." The dark-skinned man waves a hand to the chair opposite him. "I'm simply waiting for the dawn. And I like it here; the noise and bustle, people coming in at the end of a day to have a drink and converse with friends. But where are my manners? Please allow me to introduce myself: Ari Outis, at your service."

[Barbarian MD]

Richard - Paladin/Bard

A young man, a boy really, strides up the causeway to the village on bowed legs. He had been journeying this way for eight days now, sleeping on his traveling cloak and eating out of his backpack. The clothes he was wearing now were clearly not his best.

He enters the village gates--or what passed for them--and continues to the center of town before stopping, turning slowly to take in the sights and find his bearings.

As he turns, a casual glance would reveal that the man wears no sword, no armor. Just a dust-covered pair of brown breeches and a loose-fitting gray shirt. The only thing that stands out are his boots: high topped and incredibly shiny. They seem out of place on a weary traveler.

From the town square, the man (whom his friends would call Richard and others would call Hey-You) tracks the trail winding up the nearby mountain with his eyes, following it up to the top where it winds out of sight around one side.

With a longing glance at the inn, the man continues through the town and out the other side, hoping to find a poor man's bath in a stream or pool. It takes some time, but eventually he locates one and sets up camp, settling in for the night.

...

An hour before dawn, the young paladin wakes with a deep yawn and wipes the sleep from his eyes. Humming to himself, he takes particular care this morning to clean himself up, shaving, bathing, grooming. Thirty minutes are spent on his boots, and then he retrieves a new set of clothes from his pack, and suddenly the boots do not stand out. This is a garb of a knight, complete with a bright white tabard.

The transformation is startling, or would be, if anyone had been there to see it. Setting off just as the sun is beginning to crest the horizon, Richard begins the trek up the path towards his destiny, still humming quietly to himself.

[4is111]

Cold Stone
A large humaniod figure walks out of the forest and into the group as it leaves at dawn. Her walk is somehow unnatural, perhaps it is that each step is exactly like the previous one in every way, or perhaps its because her knees aren't bending in quite the right place, but whatever the cause, there is clearly something unnatural about this woman. She is covered head to toe is a worn brown cloak, but through the many rips and teers is visiable equisite armor crafted from the purest mithral. The art is so prominant that the armor must be for cerimonial use only. The woman raises her head, letting her hood recede to reveal a warmask of an almost perfectly beautiful human adolesant. She says nothing, but meerly walks towards the cave with the party, nodding to answer the occational question.

[appending_doom]

"Klaus," the short woman replies. The hand she reaches out is clawed, although the claws have been filed and smoothed.

"As the locals assure me no one is here except those who live here and those who are going to answer Lord Svataril's summons, you must be here to see him."

She sits and fixes a pair of beady black eyes on Ari. "It's a pleasure to meet you, more so if you'll plan to keep me company on the way to our meeting place."

[The DM]

Darius

After getting his extended leave of absence reluctantly approved by a Captain of the Guard, Darius set out several days ahead of the appointed rendezvous with his mysterious benefactor. He didn't know what to expect after receiving his mission from the paladin, but he knew that it would be important, and he'd be expected to waste no time.

Arriving in town, the tall aasimar checked into the largest local inn, spending the next several days exploring the village and its surrounding area. Familiarizing oneself with the terrain was important in establishing a background level of knowledge with which to interpret the facts of any situation. So was making your face known around town. People might loosen their tongues to a stranger after an ale, but they spoke freely to a friend they've spent a few nights carousing with.

Darius knew when to stop pushing. As soon as the subject was broached, the villagers clammed up about his destination up the mountain. Smiling and apologizing for the breach of etiquette, he moved on to other topics with his friends, though he learned little of true use.

The evening before the appointed date, Darius was at the inn's tavern. As expected, there was an influx of strangers...and also as expected, many of them looked apprehensive or nervous. Keeping to himself for a while, Darius watched and waited, observing a pair of young adventurers doing their best to remain aloof and mysterious. Ordering another ale, Darius turned on his stool to keep an eye on them, not bothering to conceal his curiosity.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai

POP!

"--ks a lot."

And suddenly there was a traveler at the village gate.

--------------------------------------

It was not uncommon for Nikolai to be running late. He never did have a terribly good sense of time, and living in a library filled with interesting new knowledge to learn hadn't seemed to help much. So it had come as no surprise to Robert when Nikolai burst into his quarters, asking hopefully if he had a Teleport Other left.

"Six years, and you never seem to learn. What if I don't?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. You study Travel. You developed that spell yourself, and you never shut up about it. You and I both know that you'd practically pay me for the chance to use it"

Robert sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Just give me a second."

"Sure thing. Hey, than--"

--------------------------------------

After a moment of disorientation, Nikolai headed straight into the village. It was getting dark, so he made his way to the only real sign of life -- the pub.

Entering the rather small tavern, he made a beeline for the barkeep to ask him if he knew where the path was -- or if he was in the right village at all. Almost before he opened his mouth, though, the barkeep just shot him a rather irritated glance and jerked his head in the direction of the fireplace. A closer inspection revealed two rather incongruous persons.

Oh good, I'm not alone.

Wandering over, Nikolai flashed a smile and offered his hand.

"I hear you're not from around here either?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"That's putting it mildly," Klaus replied. She reached over to tug a chair to offer the newcomer.

"My name is Klaus, and this is Ari," she continues, pointing at her companion. "If you're here because of the summons, you're welcome to join us." She abruptly laughed, a discordant cackling, like the call of a raven. "You're welcome anyway, but from they way the people here talk, it'll only be for tonight."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

The deeply weathered man, as part of his questioning on those seeking the path through the village, finds himself pointed in the direction of the pub, and the three seated there. He greets them warmly.

"So... there's others here too. Hmm... good to know I'm not the only seeker. Call me Keith, if names are in order. Has anyone been able to get any clear idea on what lies ahead?"


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[industrious]

"Please, have a seat, Keith. My name is Ari, and the one across from me is Klaus. And all I know is that we must be at the end of the path before dawn. I find it very odd, though, that all of us are mages of some sort or another; I see no weapons, no armor among any of us. So now, how did all of you meet Socrilii?"

[Hashmir]

At the sound of the strange, beaked woman's laughter, Nikolai's robes began to rustle. He lifted a few folds of fabric and a small, beaked head poked out.

"SQUAAAWK! Friend? Friend?"

Nikolai chuckled and pulled the raven out of his pocket. "Oh, it seems you've caught Anya's attention. Do you mind?"

As he spoke, the small bird flapped the few feet over to Klaus's shoulder and perched, leaning forward to stare intently into her eyes.

"She's my familiar. Loves to sleep in my pocket, but don't ask me why. In any case, it seems she's glad to see a familiar face -- so to speak," Nikolai explained. Turning to Ari, he continued. "As for Socrilii, I met him on my 16th birthday, when he was passing through our village. Long story short, I was impressed with what he could do, and he brought me to study at the Library of Knowledge. I've been there for the last few years, working on whatever I could get my hands on. How about you guys?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

A sharp hiss from the neck of Klaus' hood cut through the gathering, and a moment later, a brown-skinned viper's head appeared on one side of Klaus' neck, obviously reacting to the presence of a competitor.

Klaus gently tried to push the raven from her shoulder before turning to Nikolai. She gave an unconcerned shrug. "I met him around," she said, reaching up a hand to scratch the viper's head with her wicked-looking claws.

"He must get around a lot to make the acquaintance of such varied people."

[industrious]

"No, that's the funny thing. I came to him." Ari shrugs. "I was supposed to question him...on a certain matter relating to my Order. I return with the answer five years later, and the Order is no longer my Order. Such is life."

[Hashmir]

Anya leapt back to Nikolai and proceeded to hop back and forth between his shoulders and head, ruffling her feathers in agitation.

"Attack! Attack! Man the defenses! Retreat! Surrender!"

"Oh, calm down," Nikolai grinned. "Don't mind her. I often suspect she's spent a little more time than is healthy listening to Gareth's stories.

"And while we're talking about stories, yours sounds like an interesting one, Mister... Ari, was it? Not that it's any of my business, but ... well, when you spend years studying knowledge and divination, you tend to learn just how hard it is to really hold a secret."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

The weathered man smiles a bit at the byplay as he proceeds to answer the question that was placed directly to him.

"I had a bit of a disagreement with a few people, and ended up having to leave with little more than the clothes on my back. He put me up for a while. There's always a bill to be paid eventually, so here I am. "


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

Oh, and I keep putting this here because it's easier to clone it every time than it is to seek out the last one I put up once combat starts...

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Rather than submit to questioning about her past, Klaus stretched her arms, yawning theatrically.

"It's been interesting, and I should be glad to meet you on the path early tomorrow. But I need my rest -- a professional hazard, I'm afraid."

So disengaging herself, she bargained for a room for the night, and true to her word, was standing at the base of the path scant moments before dawn the next day, carrying a nearly-empty bag that to all appearances contained only a single large book.

[industrious]

Ari stands up as Klaus leaves. Sitting down soon after, he converses with the other two at the table for an hour until he, too, excuses himself. Going to the edge of the path, he settles himself inside a nearby ditch with the ease of habit. When the sun rises, he wakes up, and looks around to see who else is there.

[Hashmir]

After exchanging pleasant -- if unenlightening -- conversation with Ari and Keith for a bit, Nikolai retired for the night to a nearby inn. No reason to abandon creature comforts, after all.

The next morning, he awoke at dawn and, after getting distracted by his book for a few minutes, hurried over to the path. It appeared that all of the others were already there.

"Oh, hey. Is this everyone? Are we good? Onward and upward?"

"Tally-ho! Charge! Forward, men!" Anya added helpfully.

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith as well makes his arrangements for the evening, then meets at the trail head with the dawn, saying to those assembled: "Shall we go?"


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[The DM]

Darius

As the evening wears on, Darius elects to remain apart from his soon-to-be companions, content to observe. He instead socializes with a journeyman carpenter that he'd met two nights before and keeps only a distant eye on the three in the corner.

When first one, then a second, and finally a third member of the quartet leave for the night, Darius decides to follow suit. Bidding his friend goodbye, he passes close to the last traveler by the fireplace, pausing long enough to flash a smile and say, "I advise rest, friend, we've an early appointment with a certain paladin in the morning." He winks, and disappears up the staircase to his room.

Rising early, as usual, Darius pays the innkeeper and heads out of town on the mountain path. Up ahead, he spots two of the people he'd observed the night before in the tavern-a short female swathed in a cloak incapable of fully concealing avian features, and a gruff, weather-beaten man. Hustling to catch up, he eventually intercepts the man (Keith?) and the female (Klaus?) as they encounter a youth dressed in holy warrior's garb breaking camp.

Description (I forgot to earlier)
Darius is tall and fine-featured, his celestial ancestry evident in his silvery hair, lightly golden skin, and noble bearing. His sleek build conceals an almost supernatural musculature and resilience.

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

Richard's quiet tune is interrupted as he steps out onto the trail to discover that he is not alone. A small crowd has gathered about 30 feet back down the trail, and they appear to intend to climb it this morning.

Who are these? Fitzgerald said nothing of others.

"Hail, friends!" he calls, "What brings you out this fine morning?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

The short, robed creature replied almost immediately. "An old friend has called me here to fulfill an old agreement. I presume it is the same for the rest."

[industrious]

Ari smiles at the newcomer.

"I presume that we are all walking along the same path, and that a mutual acquaintance has called us together. Paladin Socrilii was not a patient man, though, so we should begin our journey."

The dark-skinned man gestures to the path, and begins walking along it.

[4is111]

Cold Stone
The figure nods, and follows promptly.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai jogged a few feet to catch up, and then matched pace with the others. As the group went, Anya flapped back and forth across the path around them, investigating the plant and insect life.

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

The name Socrilii is the password for this young paladin, and he had half expected this coincidence. Still...

He spends a moment intently studying this group of walkers...
Detect Evil, on all of you. I don't expect anything, but cough it up in a PM if you're a wolf in sheep's clothing
...and then breaks into a big grin.

"Well, it would seem we have more in common than our choice of walking trails this morning. I go to Svatarilli myself."

He falls in step with the others. Still, he makes no indication of whether he is on his way to celebrate the paladin's birthday or slay him, as the others have yet to do so themselves.

"Richard is my name. How do you know Socrillii?"

[4is111]

Cold Stone
The unnamed knight picks up on the change in Richard's tone of voice and pivits to look him squarely in the eye for a few seconds, before turnning back towards the trail.

[Hashmir]

"Cool! It's like a party, except with walking instead of food and music!"

"Where's the mead? Where's the wine?"

"Oh, you've never even had alcohol." Nikolai glanced around, but there was nothing on either side of the path save trees and more trees. "So, uh, anyone have the slightest idea of how long this path actually is? Not that I'm complaining, but..."

As he trailed off, the party rounded a particularly large rock, coming across a straightaway that led directly to some sort of clearing. It was too far to see much, but this was definitely the place.

"...Ah. Well, there you go then."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith continues on up the trail, idly examining the nearby plants, animals, and ground, checking for clues as to what might lie further up the trail, or what might have caused this trail to be.


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[The DM]

Darius

Falling into step beside the jovial young knight, Darius extends a hand in greeting. "Hail and well met, warrior. I am Darius Mennon, formerly of the City Watch of Silverdale. Svataril Socrillii was a benefactor of mine, and I gave him my word that I would one day repay his generosity. I am on my way to pay that debt. I presume you all are in a similar circumstance?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"Lord Svataril was my teacher. I took the knowledge of the...persuasive arts in exchange for an agreement to seek him out at his command. He has called, and so here I am."

She clicked her claws, now painted a gold color and, if possible, cleaner and better-trimmed than they were the night before.

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

The young man nods his head as he listens to the responses.

"Socrillii has many benefactors, it would seem. His patronage gained me a chance to become a knight."

He turns to the man with the bird. "Music and Walking go excellently together!

'Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains of the moon.'"

There will be many song references in this campaign, I'm afraid. :smallwink: You'll win bonus points when you can name the lesser known ones. And perhaps you'll even hear a few of my original creations (but dropping in an existing song will dominate when I don't have fifteen minutes to write one).

[4is111]

Cold Stone
"..."

[whoiam]

(Alright, if you've devolved into song, I should probably get this moving again)

The path seemed of human(oid) construction - most of it was just about wide enough for a pair of horses abreast, and some of the more treacherous corners showed signs of having been shored up at some point in the past. The cave, on the other hand...

...When the path reached the cave, there was a sudden shift from the human-scale up to the draconic. You could have sailed warships into that cave mouth... had you come in the middle of a freakishly powerful flood. Unfortunately, the natural light did not penetrate far into the cave - they were on the southern face of the mountain in question, and so sunlight had no direct access down the entrance tunnel.

A couple of minutes after they reached the cave entrance, a set of lights turned on. They were lamps, mounted on meter-high poles, on either side of the continuation of the path. It was running right down the center of the tunnel, which seemed to be about a kilometer long - although those with sharper eyes would be able to tell there was a sharp right turn at the end of this length, and the lights turned with it.

If they followed this path continuation, there were three further corners (if they were keeping track of such things, they were all right turns, and all tilted the pathway further downhill. Only after the fourth did they come out into a properly lit chamber... large enough to fit the average cathedral, and entirely floored with gold. Loose or otherwise. Of course, pocketing some would be the last thing on their mind - because sitting in the center of the chamber, watching the entry tunnel, was Svataril... in all his draconic splendour. For the moment, he said nothing - just watched their reactions. It was one of the few fun things he still got to do...

[appending_doom]

Klaus

With reverence, the avian creature pulled back her hood to reveal a head like a raven, covered in fine black feathers. A small brown snake was curled around her neck.

There were few cues by which to judge her reaction, but she seemed calm for one facing a creature dozens of time her size as she knelt.

"Svataril Socrillii -- The Acolyte of Her Divinity. It should have been clear you were not what you seemed," she murmured. "Still, I wouldn't have expected this. Well played, sir."

[4is111]

Cold Stone
He seems alright, so why the summons?

OOC: I feel foolish for having to ask, but Svataril is our old mentor, correct?

[industrious]

Ari clears his throat, and blinks rapidly. Looking as if he would rather be anywhere else but here, his speech has a slight stutter to it. Normally, the man is nigh-fearless, but a dragon, in his own den would make any man senseless.

"Ah. The rumors of your prowess were greatly underestimated, then, Sir Socrillii."

Understatement seemed to help with the urge to run away.

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

The young paladin pulled up short at the sight of the massive wyrm in the center of the chamber. On instinct, he tries to determine whether he is about to die. Detect evil. A wyrm of his power probably has mindshielding of some sort, but still.

What was formerly known as Richard's stomach (he discovered much to his surprise) had become a stone, and his knees weren't as steady as they had been this morning. And it would be imprudent to forget to mention the sudden taste of beef and tomatoes in his mouth.

It wasn't until the raven-creature spoke that Richard was able to put two and two together, that this dragon just might be his patron.

When he could finally gather his wits about them--strung as they were across the chamber--young Richard knew what to do. As a squire, he had certainly met and served royalty, and while this dragon may not be royalty, he would certainly be accorded the respect due to one.

Richard snapped to attention, and then offered a stiff, formal bow to the wyrm. As befitted one of such rank, Richard did not speak, waiting rather for the dragon to speak first.

[The DM]

Darius

As he traveled deeper into the bowels of the massive, winding cavern, it must have struck Darius's inquisitive mind as odd that a human paladin might require a residence so colossal. Had he stopped to consider things a little more carefully, his skills of deductive reasoning may have been able to put the disparate facts together-an alias in Draconic, the unwillingness of the villagers to discuss their protector, the truly mammoth cave, Socrilii's penchant for benevolence and training of young heroes...in hindsight, Darius was surprised he hadn't at least suspected something.

But he hadn't.

Dwarfed by the massive, ancient wyrm, Darius's self-confidence and aloofness evaporated. Possibly the only thing that kept the aasimar's mouth from dropping open in astonishment (and fear) was his internal psionic focus. Clinging to that, Darius recovered from his shock in time to echo the paladin's bow. More accustomed to dealing with common people and the often rough-spoken officers of the Watch, Darius followed Richard's example of silence.

[4is111]

Cold Stone
The knight looks to either side at her companions' shock and awe. He's a dragon, so what? I guess a year ago I would have had the same reaction. Is noone going to break the silence? My condition doesn't seem so bad by comparison.
"So, Master Socrillii, it's been a while."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith briefly checks the color of the dragon's scales, and scans for evil intent, then nods a greeting, thinking 'As I've met with him before, there's no need to show more deference now than was acceptable prior. A different form, but still the same person, and still a person.' and says: "You requested my presence?"


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[Hashmir]

A few feet behind the rest of the party, Nikolai rounded the corner.

"Hey, why the sudden silence? I just -- whoa that's a very big dragon."

After a brief moment, it occurred to Nikolai just who this was. He had always known something was odd since learning Draconic at the library -- what kind of human was named "Acolyte of Her Divinity"?

Comments from the others soon confirmed his suspicion, but the sheer awe of the tremendous wyrm's presence prevented him from thinking of something substantial to say. He settled for sitting down, still a touch wide-eyed.

"...I am impressed."

[whoiam]

Once Nikolai had finished his contribution, Svataril came quickly to his paws. Left and right forepaws crossed, and his neck lowered between the shoulders.

Bowing is quite difficult for a quadruped, but it was a decent effort.

"It is ever amusing watching people's reactions the first time they find out my true species. Some people find that life can still amaze them sometimes. Others are simply too jaded to find the wonder in anything. If I did not know better, Keith, I would suspect you to be dead inside." So, Keith only had the second-least reaction to Svataril's identity, but he was making allowances for Cold Stone's... condition.

"Now, to business. I have an extensive hoard - going far beyond only the gold present in this chamber. Part of this hoard is a collection of artworks - including a number of old elven portraits. These portraits are... missing. Being a dragon, I kept my eyes and ears open for evidence of who took them - and how - until a fortnight ago, I run across the missing pieces entirely by accident. There is a castle, a couple of days to the south of here. Ruled by a Baron Alkuk. I was passing through and guess what he had on the walls of his hall? So this is your first mission. Find my missing artworks, recover them, and bring them back to me."

Pausing in thought a moment, Svataril lets off a small spurt of flame - harmlessly over the heads of his guests. It was the equivalent of a long sigh for him. "When most of you recover from your shock and regain your wits, you will doubtless realise that a local baron would likely lose out in an open disagreement with a dragon such as myself. And you would be right. This is not the mission I called you here for, as such: More a sort of... examination. It gives you a chance to learn to work together before you go into particularly heavy danger, and gives me a chance to assess your work. Now, there are a couple of things running in your favour on this mission. Firstly, I have a... 'friend'... in this castle already. She is an elven... exotic...dancer of some small renown, answering to the stage name 'Kuali'. She has aquired a key to this Baron's armoury, and if you make contact with her inside the castle, she will allow you access to it. She may have other information or help she can render to you once you arive: But try not to rely on her too heavily. This is your test, not hers. Secondly, some friends of mine in a local monastic order are leading a pilgrimmage through the area to a shrine further south. They will stop at his castle for a day to allow their followers to recuperate. This gives you two nights and one day to find my missing artwork and recover it, as well as to figure out a way to get it out of the castle intact. A warning, however: You may not leave with the pilgrims. Were you to sully the reputation of their order, I would be less than pleased."

Only his second pause for breath since he started speaking.

"Finally, to the matter of payment. I have two large diamonds - of the size and value I use to perform resurrections, about 10,000 gold pieces of value each - which are to be your payment upon completion of this task. If any of you get killed along the way, those diamonds will be used to bring you back instead. Since there are seven of you, I think the payment would be fairly appropriate."

Pause the third.

"Now, I will answer any immediate questions you may have, and then teleport you to where the pilgrims await your arrival. It would not do to keep them waiting overlong."

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

Richard has been chalking up questions since the dragon began his long speech, and it takes a moment for him to prioritize them.

"My lord dragon, I have a number of questions, if you will permit me...

"Would I be correct in believing that we are to harm no one in retrieving these paintings? It strikes me that any guards we encounter will not have been party to the theft, and are therefore innocent of wrongdoing themselves."

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus was quick to recover, though slower than her companions, straightening to her full height (not much more than five feet) to address her instructor.

"My first is a better description of the art, including a number of pieces, rather than an assertion that every portrait of an elf we discover is one of your hoard. If the lord has any suspicions at all of the nature of his art, or of your desire to have your hoard recovered, he can easily conceal his lucre amongst pictures one who has not seen them could not differentiate.

"My second is whether you intend us to arrive under the auspices of the monks and sully their reputation when their companions are suspected of theft, even if we depart at a different time. If not, under what auspices could we seek lodging with Baron Alkuk? I know that there are lords who will offer hospitality to bards and other entertainers, but I would like to know whether Baron Alkuk is one." She glanced significantly at Richard.

"Regardless, it might benefit our cause to not arrive in a single group."

[whoiam]

"As far as violence goes, Richard, I make no pronouncements on the subject. I would prefer you not to simply hack a bloody path to the paintings, if for no other reason than the Baron's guard detachment outnumbers you fairly heavily. But I do not know the situation you will find yourselves in, and so will not attempt to dictate your responses for you."

Swivelling the head around to face Klaus, he continued. "There were nine paintings taken from me. Each featured one elf, set against a woodland background. Each also features a signature from the artist - the same signature. They were a set. Actually, a set of your predecessors - these nine elves were my first selection of... trainees."

Here, Svataril took a moment to generate a still illusiary image of the nine. From the speed with which he did it, one would suspect he had prepared for that request ahead of time.

"As to your second question, you actually misunderstand me slightly. My monkly friends are leading a pilgrimmage. The pilgrims themselves are not monks, nor particularly religious - many are on mandated pennances for previous sins. The monks themselves will be constant in number and above suspicion - for when you leave seperately, suspicion will naturally fall on you, rather than those remaining on the pilgrimage. It helps somewhat that this same group of monks makes the same journey twice a year. They, themselves, are considered above suspicion. Pilgrims, like those you will pretend to be, are not."

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

"How big are these paintings, my lord? And would you by chance happen to have some sort of bag of holding we could borrow, or a scroll that might shrink them to fit in a pocket?

Furthermore, if you will permit me, who is this baron, and why has he stolen your paintings?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"Understood. But I would still like to know the Baron's attitude towards traveling entertainers. There are advantages to entering his domain in two separate groups, if it can be managed."

[whoiam]

"About a meter by a meter - square canvasses, although they may be folded into smaller, rectangular frames when you find them. Yes, I do have magic that can shrink an object, as well as bags of holding, and no, I will lend you neither. You understand, this is your assessment, not a test of my posessions. You must come up with your own solutions to the problems you face, not rely on me to provide. Because the task you were actually called up for is one I cannot aid you with at all, so you had better get used to standing without my help. And do it quickly, for you have little time left. And since you are so insistant on this point, Klaus - Kuali entered with a similar cover, but required several days to become trusted enough to be allowed to move around freely. The major advantage of entering with the pilgrims is that there will be the better part of a hundred people entering at once. Anonymity is easily earned in a crowd. But if you wish to enter under another cover, this is your choice. Once I have teleported you into the vicinity of the pilgrims, you may act in any way you choose."

Finally, on to the more personal enquiry. "To the best of my knowledge, the Baron was not responsible for this theft. I know he ended up with my property, but I suspect he was unaware of it's previous owner - or the steps his agent or agents took to aquire it. I doubt he would have risked a direct confrontation with me, had he known."

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

The paladin nervously considers his next words with care.

"Sir, if I may be so bold, I do not like this.

"You have stated that you believe the Baron to be innocent in this. His guards certainly must be as well. And yet you are sending us to retrieve these paintings under force of arms.

"It is highly likely that someone will be seriously injured in all this, and death is a distinct possibility.

"And you can avoid that possibility by revealing yourself.

"If it is a test you want, send us against people who have done wrong, and whose deeds deserve punishment.

"If you insist, I will go, but I will not be a participant in the death of any innocent man."

I'm not trying to run your plot off the rails, and I don't want to play a stick-up-the-butt paladin, but Richard is a paladin with a code of honor to follow.

P.S. Richard won't be stealing anything from the armory, either.

[industrious]

Ari turns to the paladin. "There is no need for force of arms in this matter, sir knight. We only need must retrieve the paintings; words may be used instead of weaponry. Not all things come to violence"

Turning back towards the dragon, Ari pauses a moment before asking his question. "Before we leave, Sir Socrillii, I ask only one question. Why did you select us to be your pupils? You are ancient and powerful, and have resources we can barely imagine. You could have selected the finest wizards newly graduated from their academies, the most pious warriors and holy men. Yet you, out of all the world, chose us. Why?"


My character still hasn't revealed he is a paladin yet. To be honest, he isn't sure if he is one himself. Getting expelled from your Order can do that to a person.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai tentatively raised his hand.

"For the record, I'm with Ari. I mean, I've not been in a real fight in my life, so I'm as big on the nonviolence as anyone. So I think we should be plenty capable of getting in and out of there without having to, you know, hurt anyone."

[The DM]

Darius

Breaking his silence, Darius tilts his head and scratches his chin. "Certainly the most straightforward way to go about this would be to be entirely above-board. If we act on the assumption that the Baron would not willingly risk your Lordship's wrath, then he has no motive to commission the theft of your possessions. Certainly not those with, pardon my presumption, sentimental value. Indeed, he would have quite a strong reason to want to avoid such a situation."

Darius begins to pace, gold coins crunching and clinking beneath his polished boots. "Therefore, we may assume that the Baron is not complicit in this theft, and that one or more of his retainers has either been purchasing stolen goods or associating with thieves directly. If the Baron is a law-abiding man, he will no doubt cooperate with rooting out the corruption in his court. If not...he would still be averse to earning your ire." Darius ceases his pacing and looks up to the wyrm above. "This is the sort of reasoning you encouraged me to develop, yes? That seems far too simple...what flaws might I be missing?"

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith grins briefly at the dragon's reaction to his reaction. "A prince or a pauper, a dragon or a human, people are people and I do not treat one above another without cause. I was invited, and the path up made it clear enough that this is a residence for something large and influential. Knowing who invited me, it was not overly hard to guess who would greet me, although your exact nature was unknown. As I prefer to avoid deceptions, and there was no pressing need to do otherwise, I greeted you as normal."


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[4is111]

Cold Stone
"You give the Baron too much credit. I wouldn't be surprized if he knew these paintings had been aquired unlawfully. I seriously doubt diplomacy will allow us to do anything other than buy the paintings back from him, and we have nothing that a noble would consider valueable... That could work... no, its too risky. I prepose that trickery is our only option. perhaps we could smuggle the paintings out in a supply cart, although that is so cliche that the good Baron will likely expect it."

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"At this point, we are only debating logistics, and wasting our patron's time. If there are no further questions for him, I suspect our time would be better spent planning amongst ourselves...with the pilgrims."

[4is111]

Cold Stone
"Well said; we should be going."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith thirds the motion to proceed. "Yes; it is clear enough the level of aid we're expected to have, and the final results of what needs to be done, and also clear that the rest is for us to solve; by all means, let us stop wasting our generous patron's time."


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[The DM]

Darius

Darius glances to his new companions. "Nevertheless, the picture remains unclear. First-hand knowledge can be gathered on-site, and is eminently valuable. However, we are in the presence of the single greatest source of knowledge and wisdom that I know of. To accomplish our objective, it is important that we make the best use of that opportunity. Whether we teleport to the caravan now or when they are a mile down the road, we'll get to Alkuk's castle at the same time." He turns back to the dragon. "Is there any further insight into the Baron's ways you might offer us, that we can serve you better?"

[whoiam]

"Richard... At no point did I state that force of arms was mandatory, or even preferable. I merely refuse to rule it out, due to my lack of omniscience. You also misunderstand my revelations about the culpability of the Baron - he paid a thieves' guild to aquire a set of paintings he wanted. He does not know what they did to get them, or where they got them from, but he knew that unsavoury methods were certainly possible. Secondly, you will quickly need to disabuse yourself of the notion of refusing to kill an innocent. If you adventure there will come a time when you must choose between the life of a comrade and the life of a perfectly innocent - but also opposed - warrior. Sometimes you will be able to disarm, charm, or subdue them. This is not always the case. I do not say you should go around murdering people out of expediency, but you must always bear in mind... you may eventually have to."

Leaning back slightly, the dragon chuckles. "And no, I will not waste my time looking for a cult of Utter Evil to send you against. This is a test of your judgement as much as of your skills. How would your judgement be tested by operating amoung those you can kill with impunity?"

Nikolai had the second reply: "Indeed, I have nothing against this mission being accomplished without violence. By all means, do it in such a way."

Third was Darius: "The flaws you are missing involve 'murder the envoys and frame someone else', as well as 'hide the paintings and claim the dragon was mistaken'. You are also assuming the Baron to be an upright man, and he is not. He would avoid open confrontation if he could, but this does not mean he would be co-operative. Few people aspire to high station in human lands without some degree of duplicity in their nature. I could, of course, be wrong about the lengths he is willing to go to, just as I could be wrong about the nature of resistance he is willing to provide. I have not tested this man directly, and for...political... reasons, would prefer not to."

Cold Stone was next. "Cliches are only such because enough people have found them to work in times past. The problem with a cliched way of getting my paintings out is that it would only work *before* they were discovered to be missing. Past that point, you would be better served by thinking of a more novel exit strategy."

Then back to Darius. "Do not expect him to be helpful, or obviously obstructive. He may well not be present in person at all - you are only there for a little over a day, after all. Pilgrims are normally watched, but there will be ways around this, if you approach things in the correct way."

And finally, a pause. "Any further inquiries?"

[The DM]

Darius

Darius bows low in deference to the dragon's blunt critique. "Your assessment of the Baron's methodology cleared up my confusion, milord. I see now why a direct confrontation should be off the table. I have one final question: To what degree, if any, may we use your name to accomplish our objective? Implied threat is a powerful tool in the investigator's arsenal, but I would of course understand if you wished to remain anonymous." Awaiting his reply, he joins his companions preparing to leave.

[whoiam]

"I... would not recommend invoking my name - there is too great a risk inherant in revealing the fact that you operate in my name. In some situations it may be appropriate, particularly as a way to identify yourself to Kuali - although she has also been told to watch out for Klaus, and thus contacting her may prove unnecessary. I will set no restrictions on its use, but... be careful. It may not work in quite the way you expect. Anything else?"

[Barbarian MD]

Richard remained silent for a few moments, digesting this new information and weighing its implications. He took solace in the fact that at least a few of his new companions shared his devotion to the sanctity of innocent life. And if this baron wasn't innocent of wrong doing, perhaps he could act to carry out justice.

He owed this dragon a debt, an he would repay it. But woe to this wyrm if he should prove false.

He ventured one final question, a logistical one: "Where in the castle are these paintings?"

After hearing the answer, Richard stepped back, bowed stiffly at the waist with military procession, and then walked backwards to rejoin the others.

[The DM]

Darius

Pondering Socrilii's admonition on discretion, Darius shakes his head. "I am ready." He glances over to Richard, "Kuali would be better able to tell us, and we'd be better able to understand once we've seen the layout of Alkuk's castle."

[whoiam]

"Then I think it is time you proceeded. There are cloaks waiting for you over there." Svataril's right foreclaw pointed slightly to the side of their entrance path, to where a side tunnel branched off from the main cave (if they looked around, there were about a dozen tunnels connected to this one chamber) - in that tunnel was a table, and the promised cloaks were upon it. "Uniform things of poor brown cloth. Penitents' Vestments, I believe they were called? They are appropriate garb for such pilgrims, and will get you within the keep without undue suspicion. You may of course take an alternative route if you wish. When you are dressed - or not - I will teleport you to the appointed location, to await your... escort."

[Hashmir]

"All right then. Let's do this."

"Ahead, full speed! To the horizon!" It seemed Anya had regained her composure, and Nikolai headed toward the indicated room.

"Hmph. I see why this pilgrimage is such an effective deterrent -- this thing feels like I'm wearing a feral sheep, and it's not cooperating."

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus quietly doffed her cloak, revealing a brief glimpse of bright colors on the inside of the garment, and donned one of the simple robes. The cloak she'd been wearing was carefully folded and wrapped around the book she carried in her small backpack.

[The DM]

Darius

With nothing more to be learned by tarrying, Darius hurries to follow Socrilii's advice. Doffing his outer clothing, he tucks it into a compartment in his bag and tugs on the scratchy penitent's garb. Turning back to the dragon, he stands ready for teleportation.

[Barbarian MD]

Richard stepped over to the table and retrieved a cloak for himself after measuring the various sizes with his eyes.

Cloak slung over one arm, backpack over a shoulder, the young man ventured down a side tunnel, trying to find a small amount of privacy around a corner. Meticulously, he took the formal garb he was wearing off and folded it into the pack, replacing the worn traveling clothes from before. His spurs also went into the pack, wrapped carefully inside.

Having donned the cloak, he stepped back out and stood waiting.

[industrious]

Ari gladly accepts the garments. Although his own clothing is of finer make, it is worn thin in several places due to use. Putting it on with the hesitation of one who hasn't had to change clothes in a while, he stands ready to be teleported.

[4is111]

Cold Stone
The knight dawns her cloak and waits in silence.

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith frowns slightly at the deception inherent in donning clothing that will convince others that he is other than what he seems, but not seeing a better plan, and noting that most others seem to be doing so, dons the penitents vestments a little hesitantly, then readies himself for transport.


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[whoiam]

With all seven changed into the new clothing, Svataril nods, once, and offers them a quick "Good Luck", before casting some variant of teleport on them. The place they came out was at the base of an old (and collapsed) watchtower. The road the pilgrimmage passed along ran alongside it, and in the distance they could see the crowd that would eventually accompany them approaching. In the other direction, the walls of the castle they were aiming for were obscured by a small forest framing the road - Svataril was not stupid enough to choose a rendevous point that could be seen from the keep walls.

you've got the next day to plan amoung yourselves before the pilgrims reach you, then you're back on the rails again;)

[Hashmir]

Nikolai shook his head and rubbed his face for a moment. Teleportation always left him feeling a little disoriented; he much preferred divining. Something about transporting his mind rather than his body made him less dizzy, although he knew he was in the minority.

"Huh. Looks like we have some time before the pilgrims get here. Perhaps we should see if we can find a way out before we go in."

[4is111]

Cold Stone
"Are you preposing that we send a scout to observe the layout of the castle? That seems like the logical starting point if we're going to steal the paintings."

[industrious]

"Count me out of scouting. Get nervous around castles and monasteries. Bad experiences."

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"I imagine the raven would be an ideal scout, if it can avoid speaking out. Otherwise, I imagine it would be up to me," Klaus replied with a sigh.

[The DM]

Darius

Shrugging his shoulders, Darius settles his pack more comfortably onto his back. "I'm up for taking a look around with you, Klaus. Though not exactly my specialty, I am capable at remaining stealthy. The rest of you may want to seek out Kuali and get her assessment of local conditions."

[Hashmir]

Nikolai turned to Klaus.

"Well, Anya is quite capable of letting us know what's on the other side of a wall or around a corner, and she's a wonderful lookout -- believe me -- but she won't be able to give us a decent layout of the inside by herself.

"That said, I believe Anya and I should accompany you. We may not be able to get into the castle until the pilgrims arrive, but we should be able to scout around the walls. I happen to have a couple of spells on hand for detecting magic and secret doors -- for a few minutes, at least. If we're lucky, we won't need to go back out the front gate. I mean, I'd just as soon get out of there as soon as we have the paintings."

Anya fluttered over and landed on his arm, picking a little at the scratchy cloak.

"Oh yeah. I guess we might want to consider not wearing these robes when we start poking around. If we get spotted in them, they'll probably be a lot more suspicious when the pilgrims do get here. Plus, if we're seen without them, it'll be harder to recognize us later when we do put them on."

Nikolai glanced back to Klaus.

"Of course, they'll probably remember you anyway. I guess we just need to avoid getting seen at all..."

Nikolai sat down on the ground with a ponderous look as Anya hopped around him, searching for insects.

[Barbarian MD]

Richard speaks up.

"I'm not sure scouting ahead is wise. If we enter with the pilgrims, we have surprise on our side. If a scout is sighted, it's blown. Can you be absolutely sure you won't be spotted walking around the outside of the castle casting 'detect secret doors'?"

[industrious]

"I agree with Sir Richard. We already have someone on the inside, as it were. There is little need to scout out the place beforehand, especially if one of us were to get caught, since I don't believe any of us are particularly stealthy."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith rolls his eyes slightly at the assorted consternation of those worried about getting spotted while scouting.

"You realize, don't you, that in an area sufficiently civilized as to have pilgrims and monks stopping for a day's rest, a reasonably nondescript person, walking alone up to the gate, won't be remotely remarkable as long as he's got legitimate business, right? How many merchants do you think come through? How many farmers? It's a barony; how often, do you think, does someone come to lay claim of the Baron's judgement on a neighbor? How often someone coming to hire on as a gaurd, or to ask about trading some time mucking out the stables for a filling meal and a roof over their heads for the night? Why skulk about in shadows when you can do what you wish in the full light of day?"


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

"Thank you Ari. But, you do me too great an honor in addressing me as 'Sir.' For I have not yet been knighted and am not entitled to the use of the title.

"Now, to plan: What is everyone here skilled in? What will you be able to contribute during this raid. Additionally, what are your weaknesses?

"As to myself, I have some small skill with weaponry, and I have been trained in the tradition of singing to inspire courage and deeds of valor in my allies.

"I may be able to talk our way through situations to avoid violence, but I have no skill whatsoever in scouting."

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"I'm...persuasive and convincing. If pushed, I'm dangerous, even without a proper weapon." She clicked her claws meaningfully. "I'm much better at making friends than stabbing them, though. I'm built more for the con than the theft, I'd say."

[industrious]

"Richard, then. But the sir is just a title, a mere prefix to what one truly is. Knighthood is a mere ritual, one whose only meaning is that which one gives it." As he says this, Ari's eyes start to drift upwards, and his look turns pensive. The corner of his mouth twitches.

"I'm a fair hand with a blade. At least, I was; I haven't held one in months. If things get tough, I might be able to blast our way out. I'm not very good at subtle, though."

[The DM]

Darius

"Well fortunately, subtlety is one of the things I do best. When we get in there, I'll head out and explore a bit. If we encounter Kuali, great. If not, I'll find her. I can play dumb and talk my way out of trouble if I get caught. Though, I'd rather not go alone, if it can be helped.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai shifted his gaze from one patch of empty space to another and cocked his head.

"Well, I guess you could say that I know things. And the things that I don't know, I find out. I spent the last few years studying at the Library of Knowledge in Grastya; that was Svataril's doing. Engineering, geography, physics -- but especially magics, both divine and arcane. I also speak just about any language that's ever been used to discuss magic.

"I wouldn't be much good with the whole hurting people, but I've got a few tricks that should keep us from having to fight our way out of anything. I'm better at finding things out."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith glances around, checking to see if the area has anything particularly useful; such as, say, a walking stick that might make for a usable staff, or a heavy stick that could make a serviceable club.

"Well, I'm not too shabby in a fight, but mostly I just make minor things happen."


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

"It is good to know the make-up of our team. It may be eneficial to assign roles and establish a skeleton of a plan before we arrive at the citadel.

"I'm going to take a few moments ascending this watchtower to see if I can get a glimpse of the castle. Would anyone care to join me?"

And with that, Richard ascended the winding stairs up the tower, looking for resources and hoping for a vantage of the castle.

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus followed the young man, certain she couldn't possibly hurt by helping him look around.

[whoiam]

Richard, having apparently missed the 'and collapsed' part of the tower's description, would find his progress impeded somewhat by the absence of many of the expected stairs along the inside. Also the upper several floors.

Still, his partial trip up the tower buys him elevation enough to see the walls of the castle from one of the arrow slits in the side - the forest between the castle and the watchtower is small and apparently cultivated (the trees are laid out in rows) and stops a good three hundred meters before the walls of the castle. There is some good news there, at least - the castle's outer wall is wooden, and only about fifteen meters high. This is hardly a formiddable fortification they are dealing with, although a touch too high to simply jump. The central keep is rather higher, and made of actual stone - but it appears to lack an interior wall or any meaningful internal partitions inside the outer wall.

It would probably be a good idea, however, to remember that they cannot actually see the ground inside the castle walls, as they're too far away and the angle is too low. The staircase does continue to wind upwards for a couple more floors, but beyond this point the tower does appear to be more than a little... shaky...

Anyone attempting to make it to the top of the tower gets a more detailed view of the inside of the castle, but has to pass a DC 14 jump check, two at DC 10 (the gaps in question are clearly visible, so the characters would know how difficult it is before attempting it) and a Reflex save (whose difficulty they would not know in advance)

Searching the area inside the tower for equipment would reveal a number of small stones, but nothing of particular use. Searching the area outside the tower requires search checks from any character attempting it.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai followed Richard and Klaus to the tower and looked inside.

"Wow. A real fixer-upper, huh?"

I'm going to make a Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) check, just in case there's anything useful to notice. Maybe it's not as stable as it seems, maybe there's a way to get up more easily, probably there's nothing to know at all.

[roll0]

[whoiam]

I cannot see the result of your roll. You seem to have tried something forbidden - like previewing the dice roll, or copying it, or something.

It hardly matters, really. All the check would tell you is that the tower's serious case of neglect started with an equally serious case of 'the top was set on fire'.

[Barbarian MD]

The jump looks too formidable for the young paladin, but perhaps the walls are crumbled enough to provide handholds.

"Klaus, do you see a way across without jumping.

[roll0]

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"You seem to have mistaken me for some sort of mountain-dweller," Klaus replied, although the jibe seemed more in jest than anything else. "I doubt I'll be able to get up there unless one of us can fly, which I, at least, cannot. And I'd rather not test my ability to fall without getting hurt."

She shrugged.

[Hashmir]

Grinning, Nikolai pitched in: "Well, if anyone wants to try the jump, I'll be here to fix you up when you fail." He glanced back up to the top of the former tower. "Anya could get up there, but there's no point, really. I think we're better off making for the walls proper -- it's the only way we're likely to see anything." So saying, he stepped back outside.

[4is111]

Cold Stone
"I'm not bad with a blade or my fists. I know a bit of magic even."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith checks around outside, looking for a walking stick that might make for a usable staff, or a heavy stick that could make a serviceable club.

"Let's see... what is out here..."


Search: [roll0]

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[whoiam]

Keith's findings:

One crew-operated battering ram. Had eight handholds, currently only five are left. Total length is approximately three meters, and heavy enough that no-one is carrying it around easily.

Several loose tree branches. Three are of sufficient thickness to make an improvised staff, although two bear signs of rot and may not be reliable in battle.

Keith doesn't get to search again, but the rest of you can also make search checks if you like (there is more to find, if you score high enough). The pilgrims reach your position in about 2 hours, real-time

[industrious]

"I'll search as well. Near the side of a road, travellers often throw out almost anything." Carefully and methodically, Ari searches through the area.


Taking 20 on Search Check (22)

[whoiam]

Ari's search turns out to be rather more fruitful, turning up an old, half-buried scaling ladder (length ~ 20m) that appears to still be sturdy despite the moss growing on it. It also reveals seven grappling hooks around the base of the tower - all of them still serviceable, but only two of them still bearing usable rope (50', hemp). No weapons are in evidence, but a handful of used arrows are scattered around.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai looked over the assorted equipment from around the area and began to pace, staring intently at the ground.

"Hm. It looks like we have a few options regarding how to pull this off. Let's see...

"Well, this ladder is great if we need to get in without being seen, but we obviously won't be able to use it to get out. Unless someone's got some rope on hand, we have two grappling hooks, which we can use to get in or out. Or both, I guess. Although I'm not sure I'm all that good at climbing ropes. We could battering ram our way in, but, well ... yeah.

"In any case, it seems to me that the hardest part will be actually getting the paintings once we're inside; I've got plenty of ways to cause a distraction or cover our escape once we're running away. On the other hand, we might want to keep someone on the outside -- if we can sneak the paintings over the wall, we can walk out the front door without risking being found with them. Of course, if we can do that, we can probably escape over the wall ourselves..."

Sitting back down, Nikolai hunched over and began to gnaw on his thumbnail, still glaring at the dirt.

[4is111]

Cold Stone
"I can't help thinking that stealing the paintins is overly risky and unreliable. Maybe we could con him out of them?"

[industrious]

"The man paid a thieves guild for the paintings; I don't think he's willing to part with them, no matter how convincing we are. We could stage a break-in. Two people on the battering ram, at the front gates, right when the guards are at their most active. Meanwhile, while the guards are distracted by them, the rest of us get the paintings, then get out using the rope and grappling hooks. Once they get past the walls, they send a signal into the air, and everyone gets out."

[The DM]

Darius

Leaning back against the base of the tower, Darius contents himself with taking in the warm sunlight and watching the advance of the pilgrimage caravan. He didn't expect to find anything useful as a weapon, nothing he could smuggle into the castle anyway. But then Ari found some serviceable grappling hooks...it might be worthwhile to look around after all.

I'll take 20 as well, +2 bonus. =22

Looking specifically for rope, tools, and small weapons like daggers.
After, he rejoins the conversation. "Based on the available information, I think conning Alkuk out of these paintings, particularly with our cover story as penitents, to be both foolhardy and probably nigh-impossible. Staging a fake attack on the walls with only a couple of people...was that a serious suggestion?"

[whoiam]

The hardest thing to find in the vicinity of the tower was the serviceable scaling ladder - and that's already been found. There's a few other bits of detritus from the assault that doubtless sacked the watchtower, but nothing in good enough condition to use(that does not require excavation).

[industrious]

"Point. I was going for a fake break-in. Perhaps a not-so stealthy team with the scaling ladder? Ladder 'accidentally' falls, lots of noise, guards come running."

[whoiam]

The first person in the advancing column was one monk - a good two hundred meters ahead of the main body, he stopped briefly by the group at the base of the tower, and told them "Groups of penitents such as yourself may join our procession freely. Join at the back, unless you want the others looking closely at you..." There was even a slight wink before he resumed his slow, measured advance up the road. There would be a few minutes before the main group passed their watchtower. When the other monks drew level, a few of them glanced sidelong at their new penitents, but any attempt at addressing them would be met with a polite "Please, do not interrupt" and then ignored.

There would be a further gap before the main body of pilgrims.

If you want to try and engage any of the pilgrims in conversation, do it quickly. Otherwise I'll be speeding however many of you join up with the procession to the castle walls in my next post

[Hashmir]

Nikolai looked up at Ari.

"If it's a distraction you want, don't worry. Making noise somewhere else is a minor cantrip, and one at which I am quite skilled. I would say our best bet is to first establish the layout around the site of the paintings themselves, and then determine the best way to remove the guards from the area."

After the first monk passed, Nikolai looked at his companions.

"Well, I guess it's showtime."

[industrious]

Ari nods his head "Agreed."

When the column of monks comes upon them, Ari quietly slips away from the group of adventurers to talk with a monk privately. Walking alongside the monk, Ari quietly asks the holy man,

"Pardon me, sir monk, but I have a question. How does one know if one has sinned? If one has turned away from his old life, and rejected their ways, yet feels that his actions that led him to do so were entirely justified, has he sinned?"

[Barbarian MD]

Richard falls into the rear of the group.

Wish we had had more time--I would have used te ladder or grappling hooks to get to the top of the watchtower. Ah well.

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith scowls at the rotten wood, leaving it behind, but does don the penitents robes and get in the back of the line of the procession, idly using Detect Evil on those nearby to get a rough idea what kind of behavior to expect from the penitents.


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[The DM]

Darius

Thankful that the pointless discussion of things that would doubtlessly get anyone participating thrown into a jail cell, incapable of completing the mission, and probably tortured, Darius wastes no time. Grabbing a pair of the grappling hooks and their attached ropes, he stuffs them into his pack and hurries into the penitents' procession. Working his way over toward Klaus, he whispers quietly to the feathered female. "After we get inside, I'd like to do a bit of looking around. We seem to be the likeliest of our little band for such an excursion. Got any ideas for a good cover story?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus stared at Darius intently; there were human expressions she couldn't manage with her face, but the attention bore something of incredulity.

"Cover story? I have no idea what you're talking about. I was caught thieving one too many times, and I am seeking to atone, making a living entertaining and producing a way for others to enjoy life, rather than taking. I am not against trying to seek out other bards and minstrels within these walls; penitence is all well and good, but I should like to have some idea of how to make a living after."

If Darius didn't know Klaus' intentions, the words might have been convincing. Be that as it may, she spoke with no hesitation or sign of deception, making it clear where her true talents lay -- or, rather, lied.

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith watches the exchange between Darius and Klause.


Sense Motive: [roll0]

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[The DM]

Darius

Snickering at the subtext of Klaus's mock outrage, Darius nods along. "How coincidental! I used to drink too much, and got kicked out of the city watch. After my wife left me, I decided to get on the other side of the bar and become an entertainer too. Surely there are musicians and dancers we can learn from together. My sense of direction is a bit poor though, so we may get lost in searching them out."

[whoiam]

Ari's attempt to question one of the monks earned him nothing but a curt "Please, do not interrupt"... and then nothing. The monks, it seemed, were walking at a slow, steady pace - and in silence. Most of the penitents behind them were matching the pace, but doing... rather less well... with the silence.

The procession was not challenged along the road. Not even when they reached the Baron's castle - the monk in the lead had already identified the column, and since they were expected anyway (this being a regular, once-a-year occurance) the column - and whoever had formed up with it - were allowed in without further scrutiny. Once over the moat (which had a certain ditchiness about it, what with the current lack of water) and in the gates, the pilgrims were in a courtyard. Ahead of them, the entrance to the stone keep at the center of the compound, to their left, a series of small wooden huts, doubtless where the servants and soldiers lived. The pilgrims themselves were directed to the right - into what was, unmistakeably, a large stables. It had two obvious doors - one at each end - each of which had a guard in position, although neither was paying all that much attention to what happened inside, instead leaning against the doors and waiting for their shifts to end.

[4is111]

Cold Stone
"I image we get a better look now. Why send the bird up to at least get a head count."

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus shifted closer to Darius.

"So, any thoughts about distractions to get outside and find our contact? Or should we wait for a guard change?"

[The DM]

Darius

"Hmm...I don't see a latrine in these stables. Let's ask the guards where they expect us to relieve ourselves. Getting 'lost' on the way back is easy enough."

[Hashmir]

After the penitents had been poured into the stable, Nikolai managed to spot some of his comrades. He managed to slip through the milling bodies and reach them.

"I should be able to get at least one of the guards to look away for a second or two. If we're already out of these stupid robes, we can just slip out. I'll just mimic some shouting and a clash on the side of the barn."

Specifically, I'm talking about casting Ghost Sound. Just saying.

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith takes a few minutes to observe the activities of the actual penitents, to see how they handle bedding down for the night. He also takes a moment to cast a spell to help tidy a small place for Keith himself to rest for the night.

"Those guards will likely distract themselves, eventually; with only a single guard at each entrance, they'll get board and inattentive in due time. Speeding things up won't exactly be difficult, though."


Casting unseen Servant, directing it to clean up a section of the stables for now. Lasts an hour at this level...

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: Unseen Servant

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[industrious]

Ari is looking at the straw in the stable with some longing.

"Making a distraction shouldn't be too difficult, from either side," he muses. "The latrine idea has merit, but it will be a shallow excuse once we are inside the castle proper. The most important thing to do right now is to meet with Kuali. Once we are properly equiped, we will have a much easier time of it."

That being said, Ari goes over to one of the guards, and thanks him for letting such a humble pilgrim as himself into the stables.

Diplomacy check [roll0]

[The DM]

Darius

Darius ponders their options for a moment before trailing after Ari, adding an ingratiating smile to the man's flattery of the guard. Though the smile comes off as a bit insincere, he achieves his real purpose, to scan the courtyard for other people watching the stables containing the penitents. Won't be any use distracting the guard if the one in a tower spots us.

Charisma check to help put the guard at ease-[roll0]
Spot check-[roll1]

Well crap on the first, not bad on the second.

[whoiam]

Under Ari's attempt at diplomacy, the guard doubles over in laughter. Ari had successfully managed to diplomatically convince the guard he was a simpleton. Bravo.

What he had not managed to do is get the guard to move away from the door.

Darius' observations turned out to be a little more useful. There were no permanent guard posts along the outer walls - instead, turrets on the central keep provided the lookout points. Considering their relative elevation, it was unlikely people up there would spot people moving around on the courtyard at night. Moving around during the day would probably be a touch harder. He would also find that the stables had something of a gap around them - which is probably why they were chosen to hold the pilgrims. The small houses were the nearest buildings in the direction of the front gate - in the other direction (visible out the opposite door from the one Ari and Darius were standing by), the closest building was some kind of smithy. A crowd - mainly guardsmen, servants and minor courtiers - was forming near the houses, although the reason why was not immediately visible.

Dusk will be my final post this evening, so if you've anything urgent to do before the light goes, get to it!

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus approached the monk who had first spoken to them and asked, cautiously, "I presume it is our place to spend our time here in the stables?"

When she had an opportunity to find both Ari and Darius, she pointed out, reasonable, "A distraction alone isn't enough, especially one that is likely to arouse the protective nature of the keep. Slipping away at night and claiming we had an interest and got lost seems like a good plan -- as long as we can play the part."

[Barbarian MD]

Richard moves around the entirety of the stables, trying to build a mental picture in his head of their location. While he does this, he detects evil on everyone in sight.

Perhaps I could ...encourage a fight between some of our less penitent penitents in order to distract the guards.

[The DM]

Darius

"Well, claiming we got lost on the outside of a guarded barracks stopped being plausible once we were put in here. We'll need a plausible reason to be out-and-about to make it viable again. Or at least, one that sounds plausible. Alternatively, once we're out, we can remove these itchy, bloody rags and pretend to be unassociated with this lot." Glancing at the 'penitent' thieves, adulterers, drunkards, and other petty criminals, Darius had to acknowledge the possibility that Klaus's proposed cover-that of a former thief-may not have been completely fictitious. After all, his story of being a former member of the Watch was entirely true. Socrilii trusts them, they can't have been overly malignant. "Getting past the guards is merely the obvious way out of here. I suggest we spend our time until night fall coming up with alternatives, as well as what we're going to do once we're out there."

Pausing only long enough to hear any further thoughts on the subject, Darius spends his time observing the actual penitents. Noting what they considered to be standard, (including their assumptions on the presence or absence of proper latrines,) the aasimar works hard to blend into the crowd. While making rounds, he surreptitiously examines the building at large for possible means of egress: weak spots in the wall, lesser doors, animal burrows under the wall, and that sort of thing.


Observe penitents-[roll0] +9 Gather Information, or +7 Sense Motive. Not sure what kind of check is involved.
Remain nondescript and avoid being obvious about what he's doing-[roll1] +7 to Bluff or Disguise (to stay in character), +4 Hide, +5 general Charisma
Examine building-[roll2] Search, or untrained Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering)

Bah! What's with me and crappy skill checks? 16 on Gather Information (or 14 Sense Motive) isn't terrible, but the rest suck :smallfrown:

[Hashmir]

Nikolai slipped around the edge of the stable, checking the walls and floor before returning to the group to rejoin the conversation.

Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering): [roll0] for any structural quirks that would suggest, say, a secret door or a weak spot, or whatever will let us out without going through the guards. Doubtful, but it doesn't hurt. Failing that, taking 20 on Search for a 23.

"Yeah, I'm going to say that ditching these clothes before leaving is our best bet. We still need to find Kuali, and unless she's waiting right outside this stable, we'll need to move around. A cover story couldn't hurt, either.

"In any case, we'll need to make our first move tonight. If we don't have anything better, then we'll simply have to make the guard look away for a moment and sneak past. It'll definitely get us out; it just runs the risk of attracting other attention to the stable."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith, his work on having his unseen servant clean a section of the straw done, sets the unseen servant to invisibly mucking out more sections of the stables, having it collect the icky stuff it finds into a pile. He also amuses himself by detecting evil intent around him.

"Well, when you want a reasonable distraction, let me know."


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells:
Unseen Servant. As it's a move action to redirect a spell, he can direct it completely silently.
Detect Evil (spell-like, Paladin)

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[whoiam]

To Klaus, the monk gave the following words of advice: "Rest and relax. We are to remain in the stables when not being fed or visiting the chapel. Not the most pleasant of locations, but they did thoughtfully provide much hay to cover our - and their - imperfections."

Richard's mental picture of the stables is a simple one - for it is a simple building. Two rows of stalls and walkways along the front of each, with a door at each end. Wooden construction, but sturdy enough a horse could not easily break enclosure, door or wall. A group acting in concert could, conceivably, do it, although it would be hard without tools. Plus, impossible to do without alerting someone. The detect evils grant him an impression of a widespread, petty evil. No great criminal masterminds here, but certainly a group of people who really did have sins in need of expurgation.

As the monk had intimated, Darius finds that the penitents had no latrine access, as such - but were making do with the hay in the horse stalls. Closing the door on the stalls even provided a certain measure of privacy. Not the most sanitary of arrangements, but then, hardship was part of the point of their pennance. He also locates no particularly weak spots in the walls - they were well made and in good repair - or animal burrows in the floor.

Nickolai would encounter much the same problem. The stables were not impenetrable, as such, but there was no *easy* way out of them.

More to come later. Feel free to keep posting in the mean time

[Barbarian MD]

Richard contents himself with waiting for an opportunity to come. He finds a semi-private corner and takes to his knees, praying with his ears and eyes open.

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Knowing that she will have time outside of the stables, Klaus settles to wait for a moment ideal for sneaking out; she, after all, is capable of stealth.

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith continues to have his unseen servant clean the stables, but finds the need for more than one pile, and so puts the muck in two piles, one next to each entrance but out of the immediate sight of the guards. He also takes a moment to examine the guards themselves; their weapons, whether they keep their weapons on on their left or on their right, if they use gloves, gauntlets, or helmets, what kind of armor they have, how well it's polished, what styles of rank insignia they have, who defers to whom, and such. Keith also takes the time to make sure his hands are as clean as possible.


And no, I'm not asking just for laughs. Odd as it sounds, I've got reason for wanting to know each specifically listed item.

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells:
Unseen Servant. As it's a move action to redirect a spell, he can direct it completely silently.

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[whoiam]

Each guard is armed with a longsword and a spear: The longsword is in a scabbard, and therefore not open to direct observation (beyond the fact that it is there), and the spear is both very plain, and very steel tipped. It appears to be in good repair - somewhat better than the men, who look as though they were put on guard duty after a night - or day - of carousing.

Actually, it was given out as a punishment detail

They have studded leather armor, no rank insignia (no-one of appreciable rank would want this duty), metal helmets (polished well, but without faceguards). Neither of them defers to the other - being located on opposite sides of the building, neither is really in a position to communicate with the other.

As it finally went dark, the proto-crowd near the houses coalesced around a fire of some description. They remained there, doing... something... for about an hour before finally dispersing.

Eventually, a detachment of soldiers came over to the stables. There was a dozen soldiers in this detachment, armed identically to the pair guarding the doors (but armoured in chain instead of leather), commanded by an old, scarred human man who appeared to be the garrison's commander - he had a proper breastplace on, shined up to a mirror finish - and even more of a giveaway, he had a woman on his arm.

It was the woman who drew the strongest reaction from the people inside the stables. She was an elven lady - unusual inside a human fortress - and even more unusually, seemed barely to have bothered to dress. Some kind of translucent wrap was covering... about half of her torso, and a slitted skirt sufficed for her legs. She seemed unconcerned with the revealing nature of her clothing, but the lead (as in, the one who had walked at the head of the column) monk seemed livid over it.

Monk: "This is a pilgrimmage, friend! The work of the Gods is done here! That harlot has no place addressing our flock!"

The lead soldier moves forwards, as though to shout back at the monk, but is pulled up by the lady's hand, placed upon his shoulder. Something quiet passes between them Listen checks if you want to know what it (and the whispers in the next couple of paragraphs) is before she steps forwards instead, standing beside the door guard, and leaning on the top of the gate. Addressing the monk, she replies

"Well, we were simply coming to tell you that the traditional dinner is prepared for you and your... congregation, brother... whoever-you-are. But if you would prefer to stew in your own bile than eat, you are more than welcome to remain behind..."
Spot checks if you want to look at the lady more closely

With a sweet - almost mocking - little smile, she turns back to her soldier 'friend', and again whispers to him. Then continues walking... off in the direction of the blacksmith. The monk mutters something under his breath,
and stalks off towards the back end of the stables.

The soldiers, meanwhile, relieve the guard on their side, and open the door.

Lead soldier: "Right, this way for your dinner, pilgrims." He sounded incredibly bored.

His men, however, were formed up to funnel the pilgrims off in the direction of the fire.

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus watches the scene with keen interest from her position about halfway between the two sides of the stables. When the crowd begins moving, she stands, still carrying her pack, and drifts close to Darius.


Listen to the conversation: [roll0]
Spot the elf: [roll1]


"We might as well join them, if only to get out of the stuffy barn," she says.

[industrious]

Ari starts sweating the minute the elf walks in. Raised in a monestary, he hadn't quite seen so much...flesh before, and his time in the wilderness hadn't increased his human contact. Barely able to look at the woman, he moves closer to his fellow adventurers.

"Ag...agre...agreed." he manages to stutter out.

[Barbarian MD]

Richard, kneeling in a corner, studies the newcomers intently.


"The lead soldier moves forwards, as though to shout back at the monk, but is pulled up by the lady's hand, placed upon his shoulder. Something quiet passes between them"
[roll0]

"Spot checks if you want to look at the lady more closely"
[roll1]

"With a sweet - almost mocking - little smile, she turns back to her soldier 'friend', and again whispers to him. "
[roll2]

Well, those seem to be good rolls. Let's see what they produce.

EDIT:Oh, and of course: detect evil.

[The DM]

Darius

In his time, Darius had known plenty of women. Even still, the appearance of one so fine as the elf in this hole did cause one to sit up and take notice. Edging closer to the door, the aasimar's sharp eyes and ears eavesdrop on the conversation.


Who wouldn't want to look closer? [roll0]
[roll1]

[whoiam]

Klaus
Nothing learned, unfortunately.

Richard
Whisper 1 (inaudible, you're too far away)
Whisper 2: "I saved you some of the meat." "Thank you." - Elf and Monk whispering to one another before she turned away from the room.
Whisper 3: (inaudible, you're too far away)
Spot: There's three things to spot, and you can pick which one you want. There's one around her torso, one around her neck, and one around her head.
Detect Evil: No evil in the group around the door.


Darius

You failed to overhear any of the whispers.
You got a high enough roll on your spot to spot *one* of the three things about her person. You'll have to pick which you were looking at before I tell you whether or not you succeeded

[The DM]

Where else would a self-respecting early-twenties man be looking? Torso please.

[Barbarian MD]

The chaste paladin, noticing something on the elf's head, concentrates to identify it.

[whoiam]

Darius:
Under the translucent wrap, between the elf's breasts, there was something golden. Your attention was too busy watching her breathing in... and out... and in... to notice what exactly it was.

Richard:
What you saw that was of interest was not something about her head, but rather her eyes - she wasn't looking at the monk, but rather glancing quickly around the stables. Apparently she saw what she'd been looking for, because there was a slight quirking of her lips into a smile before she turned away.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai was surprised by this interesting turn of events. Frankly, he had been expecting to see nothing but faceless guards and smelly penitents until the group escaped. Like everyone else in the stable, his gaze was drawn directly to the enchanting Elf.

Spot check, neck: [roll0]

Listen check: [roll1]

EDIT: Hot damn. Between this campaign and the 4.0 campaign I'm playing, my perception skills are crazy. :smallbiggrin:

A thought occurred to him: Svataril had said that Kuali was here in an ... exotic ... capacity. If this was her, then the party was in luck -- he had not been looking forward to the prospect of searching the place for hours without a decent cover story.

[industrious]

While Ari cannot look at the elf, he does try to listen on their conversation, though every instinct in him rebels at doing so.

Listen check [roll0]

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith purses his lips lightly at the elf woman's appearance, but finds himself more interested in why the monk deferred to her than as to why the monk and the solder deferred to her word, rather than going through with their intended actions... to that end, he watches and listens ... and then follows along with the penitents, seeing about staying close to his fellows and not dissolving into the main crowd.


Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]
Sense Motive: [roll2]

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None (Unseen Servant duration was only an hour, which has passed by now)

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[4is111]

Cold Stone
I wonder if that's our contact
listen:[roll0]
spot at neck:[roll1]

[whoiam]

Nikolai
Failure on the listen check. But your spot check reveals that the elf's right hand, although resting on the tip of the stable door, flicks something small to the monk. It looks vaguely like a tiny irregular ball, but is not in view long enough for you to work out what it is.

Ari
Alas, Ari's ears pick up nothing new.

Keith
You also failed to overhear the elf whispering to the soldier, but succeeded in picking up the whisper between elf and monk. Your sense motive check reveals that the monk's indignation earlier was... less than authentic. And his whisper has traces of amusement in it. The elf, by contrast, seems entirely serious the entire time. It would be a fairly safe guess that she's a better liar than the monk is.

Cold Stone

Nothing learned, unfortunately

As the pilgrims start working their way out of the gates, Klaus gains an unexpected bonus. The 'lead' monk walks alongside the Kenkou for a few paces, depositing a scrap of paper into her hand as he does so.

Klaus
Common: "I'll be at the well tonight"

The pilgrims are lead past the servants' houses to a long table, set out on the courtyard beside the chapel. This spot, the same in which the pilgrims get to do their day of prayer and fasting, is essentially 'their' area. You get the distinct impression that it is only the thought of being blamed for multiple deaths that keeps the pilgrims from being told to sleep on this spot as well.

The spread laid out on the table is... well, awful. Bread. Gruel. And not a lot of it. Baron Alkuk obviously ordered that no expense be spent on the pilgrim's feast. Suddenly, the meaning of the elf's whisper to the lead monk becomes obvious...

Even here, at the feast, there are guards present - the two that normally guarded the stables, and the detachment that came to escort them to dinner.

Everyone
Any checks you care to make to spot additional details. From where you are, you can examine the chapel, the table, the other pilgrims, the monks, the guards, the servant's houses, the keep or the wall

[Barbarian MD]

Richard seats himself when the others do and waits for one of the monks to ask a blessing. If conversation seems to be allowed, he turns to whichever man sitting beside him pings as "more evil".

"My name is Richard. What is yours, friends?"

We don't actually have to spend a lot of time role-playing this, if it would slow down the game (sadly, one of the many weaknesses of PbP), but Richard's basically going to speak to this man of the importance of righteousness and goodness and such.

[Hashmir]

As the procession moved, Nikolai edged towards the others and gestured them into a moving approximation of a huddle.

"I think that was Kuali. She tossed something to the monk. Did anyone see where he went?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus produced the note before tearing it into pieces and swallowing them.

"It might have been the note, at which point we've got a date tonight."

[Hashmir]

Nikolai glanced around the enclave, looking for a well.

"Uh, right. So, um, the well. Anyone know where that is?"

Nikolai hoped he had simply missed it. Up until this point, the going had been fairly safe -- it took no particular skill to wear a robe and go where people told you. But now it was starting to look like there would be some real sneaking involved.

Frankly, he was rather anxious at the idea of doing something where he could really be caught, and he found it rather difficult to look at anything other than the fairly imposing guards around the area.

Spot check, looking at the guards: [roll0]

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Eating of the cheap fair, and having time during the meal, Keith glances at the people around him, and spends five minutes examining his surroundings in detail, appreciating the architecture and craftsmanship in them. While eating, he does reply to his companions.

"While I'm not certain where he went, the encounter between elf and monk was staged for someone's benefit."


Pilgrims Spot: [roll0]
Monk's Spot: [roll1]
Guard's Spot: [roll2]
Chapel, Table, Servants Houses, Keep, Wall Spot: Taking twenty for a result of 22. We're not in combat, there's no particular consequence for failure on a Spot check, and we've got time. A spot check to see something you've missed is a Move action to retry, so in one minute (ten rounds, one move, one standard per round), a person can take 20 on a spot check. Keith's spending five minutes examining his surroundings this way.

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[whoiam]

Richard

Richard's attempts to reform the sinner fall on disinterested ears: As he can probably guess from the man's presence in the pilgrimage, he has already decided it's worth making a better person of himself (if only to avoid eternal damnation), and takes little interest in what appears to be an over-zealous amateur preaching much the same.

That particular pilgrim's chances of actually earning a spot in a good afterlife are probably low.


Nikolai

Imposing as the guards are, it's hard to miss three facts: One, that the pilgrims are moving around in the eating area quite freely. Two, although the guards have the area lit, they themselves are not holding torches. Three, they're forming a screen around the pilgrims, but without anywhere near enough men. There are gaps between guards easily large enough to sneak through, if you picked one far from a light, and weren't too unlucky.


Keith

Pilgrims

Really nothing interesting here. They're all resigned to the rubbish food - it's about what they'd expect during what is, essentially, a pennance.
Monks

Most of the monks are eating the food without complaint. The exception is the 'lead' monk, who appears not to have much of an appetite. Otherwise, nothing interesting.
Guards

Imposing as the guards are, it's hard to miss three facts: One, that the pilgrims are moving around in the eating area quite freely. Two, although the guards have the area lit, they themselves are not holding torches. Three, they're forming a screen around the pilgrims, but without anywhere near enough men. There are gaps between guards easily large enough to sneak through, if you picked one far from a light, and weren't too unlucky.
Chapel

A sturdy little stone structure, the chapel was several times too small to fit the entire collection of pilgrims inside at any one time, implying tomorrow would contain either prayer in shifts, or prayer in an outdoors area.
Table

Even the table the cheap food was on was itself cheap and crude - formed from a set of fresh logs with wooden boards slung over the top to provide the level surface, it was too short (requiring pilgrims to sit on the floor to eat), uneven, and slightly rickety. Obviously the baron doesn't trust pilgrims with the good furniture.
Servants Houses

These have been built in a uniform pattern, as a series of rows and columns. The down side is that it is easy enough to see through from keep to wall. The up side is that the curved nature of the formation blocks line of sight from the chapel side to the stables side. It may be a good place to break off from the pilgrims if necessary later.
Keep

A sturdy enough structure, posessing two ground floor entrances, neither of them visible from your current position. You can however see some regular windows on the second floor - and archers' windows even higher up. The lower windows appear to be shut at night.
Wall

Sturdy, but undeniably wooden. As a last resort they could probably be set on fire. Along the inside of the wall there is an elevated firing platform for archers - occasional steps lead up from the courtyard. The closest of which can be seen just to the side of the chapel.

[Hashmir]

Flicking his eyes from side to side, Nikolai was growing increasingly agitated. He wasn't prepared for this, he hadn't really thought it through when he had signed on, he was going to get caught and then he'd be stuck here forever and -- wait a second.

"Hey, there's not that many of them. In fact, there are a bunch of dark spots all over the place. We can totally sneak through there!"

Perhaps this wouldn't be as difficult as he had feared.

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Finishing his meal... and his inspection of his surroundings... Keith replies to the companion.

"Escape was never in doubt, really. One of the problems with low-budget affairs is that you can't make a tight net along a large area. Getting out of the stables would have been slightly harder than it will be here, but it's not really a problem. The guards aren't tightly organized, so distractions are easy to arrange."


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[industrious]

"How large of a distraction are we talking about? It would take a rather large one to let us all get out. Maybe if we created a fight at one of the tables..."

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"Creating a scene is, ultimately, the best way to get ourselves noticed," Klaus mutters in reply.

[Hashmir]

"Don't worry. I can make a noise that only one guard can hear. It will last only six seconds, but it won't draw any serious attention once we're out."

Now that he had managed to steel himself, Nikolai was rather anxious to get out -- before his confidence left him again.

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"What would you intend to use as a distraction, and to ensure that the distraction enables you to sneak past them?" Klaus probes further. "Ordinary stealth is, for several of us, far more superior of a method."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Full, Keith relenquishes his place at the table to another, and continues quietly conversing with his companions.

"Eh, a scene and a distraction are different things. Look around you; count gaurds. Look around again, count exits. Look around a third time, count dark exits. The distraction need not be major; just something to convince one or two of the guards to be looking where we want them to be looking for... oh, about a minute. Whispers in their ears, an invisible force making a little noise a bit away... whatever."


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[Hashmir]

Nikolai looked at Klaus.

"Me? Oh, uh, I was going to use an old magical trick I picked up. Makes a noise somewhere. I was thinking of having it whisper something in someone's ear: "Hey, buddy," or, I dunno ... something."

His face turned a little less confident, almost apologetic.

"I mean, I don't wanna cramp your style. If you know what you're doing, then have at it. I just don't really have much experience with this whole sneaking around business."

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus' expression doesn't change by much, but her reply is conciliatory. "I don't mean your plan has no merit. It is simply rarely a good idea to rely entirely on a single strategem. If we wish to depart, I think it would be ideal for those whose stealth is of an acceptable level to sneak away, and then for those of less practice to create cover. Thus, if one or the other fails, there are still the chances of one group being on the outside, as it were."

[Hashmir]

Nikolai exhaled, and the muscles in his face visibly relaxed.

"Oh, yeah. Sounds good. Then there will be some help if we, um..." He cleared his throat. "...get caught."

[4is111]

Cold Stone
"What sort of cover did you have in mind?"

[The DM]

Darius

The aasimar busies himself during the meal by gazing around innocently, thoroughly examining the environs of the courtyard. As his companions' whisperings reach his ears, he leans in and makes a few simple suggestions. "No matter what the distraction, all of us disappearing at once will be noticed. As we leave dinner, Klaus and I will slip away first, getting lost in the crowd and darkness. The rest of you spread yourselves out amongst the column of penitents, keeping as far away from guards as you can. As we pass the servants' quarters, cast your distraction and sneak off individually. That way if one of you is caught, it's just a single low life trying to break his penance instead of a bunch. Lay low, and we can meet at the well."

[Hashmir]

After pondering for a moment, Nikolai nodded his head.

"Yeah, I like it. You guys go ahead then."

He elected not to vocalize his fears of getting the entire group caught -- much better for the sneakier to escape first.

[industrious]

Ari pauses briefly before affirming. "I think I can create a small distraction for myself."

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus nods to Darius. "It looks like we'll be partners for a bit. Shall we?"

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith nods, and has one simple request of his companions, getting his hands out of easy sight and readying his distractive spell for when one complies.

"I need a momentary loud noise to get my spell off discreetly; a loud belch, some hearty laughter, or whatever. My spell for this lasts about an hour, so the timing isn't particularly important, but I'll need a bit of warning "



Action: Find a relatively secluded way to do the somatic components, and ready a casting of Unseen Servant for when a suitable noise occurs to cover the verbal components.
HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[Barbarian MD]

Having been rebuffed by the penitent, the young paladin sat silently eating, lost in thought.

As he heard the others discuss their plans, the muscles in his gut tightened with trepidation--both for the volume of their conversation and for his expected role in it. Perhaps it would be best if he didn't participate in sneaking off, since he would likely make it more difficult to pull off effectively, or perhaps he could cause a ruckus should their presence become known.

[appending_doom]

Klaus

As the conversation continued, Klaus nodded to Darius and slipped out of her seat. Moving casually, she walked effortlessly with the cover of the other penitents, given her short height.

As she approached the edge of the eaters, her movements became more careful as she slipped, hopefully invisibly, towards gaps between the torches.


Hide: [roll0]
Move Silently: [roll1]
Torch: [roll2]

[industrious]

While Klaus sneaks out, Ari points his finger at one of the guards from under the table, and with a word, sends a ray of frost towards the man's feet. Hopefully, he thinks, That should provide enough of a distraction.

After he finishes his spell, he casually takes another bite of...whatever they were eating. He didn't mind the taste; hunger was a better spice than the finest saffron.

OOC: Do I need an attack roll to hit the ground?

[whoiam]

Klaus:
The closest guard's Spot Check: [roll0]
The closest guard's Listen Check: [roll1]
And again for the other guard adjacent to your patch of darkness:
[roll2]
[roll3]

You pass through the nearest patch of darkness undetected, and find yourself facing one of the gaps between servants' houses.
Ari:

You need an attack roll to hit the piece of ground you aimed for - roll 1d4 if you miss to determine which direction you shot wide in.

[Hashmir]

Hoping he was concealed by the rabble around him, Nikolai muttered something and made a few small motions with his hand. Watching Klaus move almost invisibly, he barely finished the spell before she disappeared from sight.

I cast Message on Klaus, allowing whispered communication for 10 minutes.

"Klaus? Can you hear me?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus


Spellcraft: [roll0]


"Warn a woman before you do that," comes Klaus' terse reply.

[industrious]

I rolled my "attack" in the OOC thread. Damage too, if it affects the outcome in anyway.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai grinned.

"Sorry. Guess that might not have been as coordinated as it could have been. Don't worry, though, no one can here me but you. And our friends, of course."

Nikolai paused to look at his nearby companions.

"In any case, it looks like you're in the clear. See if you can find Kuali and get some info -- when the rest of us get out, maybe we can head straight for the prize instead of waiting to get caught.

"Now, this spell will last for ten minutes within a little over a hundred feet. I'm going to send Anya over to you; send her back if you're out of range and need help. In the meantime, we'll see what we can do about getting out back here."

[whoiam]

Ari's ray of frost is bang on target, flash-freezing the ground in a small area around the guard's feet.

The guard is the first to notice (tipped off by his foot slipping as he tried to shift his weight), and gives an inarticulate cry of surprise. The other guards glance around briefly (1 round distraction bonus for the next person to try and sneak away) but it is only the guard captain who moves - glancing at the lone patch of frosted ground, then at the guard quickly returning to his feet, and glanced at the collection of pilgrims.

"Someone's playing games, are they?"

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith takes the distraction of the guard shouting to attempt to slink off.


What rolls were requierd on that? Hide, Move Silently, and a d10, I think it was...
Hide: [roll0]
Move Silently: [roll1]
Torch: [roll2]

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[Hashmir]

As Keith began to move, Nikolai tensed. This was it. They were committed now. He prepared to create another distraction if it went south -- hopefully without getting all of them caught in the process.

I'm planning to cast a Ghost sound if Keith's too loud -- details depend on the guards' reaction, if any.

[whoiam]

Closest Guard: Spot [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]
Second Closest Guard: Spot [roll2]
Listen: [roll3]


Keith's footsteps were, unfortunately, clumsy - and with the guards on heightened alert levels (as soldiers always were when their officer was angry) one of them heard him. "Footsteps, Captain!" The call went out, but the guard hadn't caught sight of him sneaking out, so could offer no more information than that... and a vague direction...

[Hashmir]

Oh man. This better work.

Upon hearing the guard's cry, Nikolai acted quickly. Completing his spell, he felt the arcane magic leaving his hands and following his will -- to the middle of the penitents' tables, toward the side opposite Keith's escape. At his direction, the sound of heavy footsteps arose, followed by what was apparently the slurring voice of a drunken penitent.

'Ey! Look at the stupid bastard; 'e fell on 'is stupid ass!"

The noise continued, mimicking four men laughing (and occasionally swearing) at the guards. Nikolai hissed to his teammates:

"I think this is it. This is going to get messy -- we would do well to leave."

[industrious]

When the guards are distracted, Ari makes his move, and quietly, casually exits the hall.


Come on dice. Don't fail me now.
Hide
[roll0]
Move Silently
[roll1]
Direction
[roll2]


Wow. good rolls.

[whoiam]

Ari, unfortunately, attempted to exit only a couple of guards along from the guard he'd iced - passing close by two guards and the guard captain.

Spot Checks:
Guard 1: [roll0]
Guard 2: [roll1]
Guard Captain: [roll2]
Listen Checks:
Guard 1: [roll3]
Guard 2: [roll4]
Guard Captain: [roll5]


And despite making no noise (and the additional distraction of the Ghost Sound), Ari passes too close to a torch, and the captain catches sight of him...
"Where's that penitent going?" The captain's cry renders the ghost sounds irrelevant: If a penitent had smuggled in alcohol that's between the penitent and the (now quite puzzled) monks, but one sneaking off? The baron could have their wages for that!

Ari:
You now have to choose whether you're running for it, or staying to face (or talk your way out of) the music.[spoiler]

Everyone that isn't Ari:
[spoiler]At least he's distracted attention away from the report of Keith's escape - they chose routes seperated about 40 degrees around the clearing in the courtyard the table was laid out in. It should also be noted (by anyone not panicking) that the guards' attention is firmly focused in the direction of their captain's gesture...

[industrious]

Ari throws himself (literally) at the mercy of his would-be captors.

"Pardon me, honorable sirs, but I was attempting to leave the hall. Could you please direct me to the nearest place where I may relieve myself in private? I fear that this problem will only be exacerbated shortly."

Privately, he is filled with doubt.
I cannot lie. But is it lying to falsely imply? Is it the intent behind the lie, or the goal behind the intent that matters? Am I still a paladin? Am I still a good person?


Diplomacy check [roll0]
And those were good rolls, too. A 19 and a natural 20. Oh well...
EDIT: Another 19. Great.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai swore under his breath. He didn't want to abandon Ari, but if he was taken into custody, it would be much easier to help him from the outside. Steeling himself, he went for the darkness.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Hashmir]

Also: [roll0] This will not end cleanly. :smallbiggrin:

[whoiam]

Thanks to the distractions, these rolls have some pretty negative modifiers. Then again, they only have to beat '5'...

Spot Checks:
[roll0]
[roll1]

Listen Checks:
[roll2]
[roll3]


Nikolai did a terrible job of sneaking out - passing far too close to one of the torches - but was saved solely by the virtue of each of the guards looking across at the trouble around Ari. He should consider himself very lucky that the DM didn't roll a 20.

Ari does a great job of faking sincerity with his claims of needing a wee, and the guards believe him. After all, had they not been feeding him the very averagest in room-temperature well-water? "Back to your posts" the captain orders the other soldiers brusquely, taking a hold of the unresisting Ari's upper arm. "You can relieve yourself in the stables like the rest of them." Was the captain's instruction to Ari. It appeared he was going to personally march the pilgrim all the way back...

These are, bear in mind, the days before medical technology has actually worked out the correlation between unsanitary conditions and ill-health, which is why the baron's men feel no compulsion to provide actual latrines

[Barbarian MD]

Richard continues to sit calmly, spooning gruel into his mouth and watching the situation, a knot of stone in his belly.

It would appear that this window of escape has closed...

And with that, he settles himself in to wait for another opportunity.

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith, a bit aways from the central commotion, gets well enough away that spellcasting won't be heard over the general din of the city, and casts an Unseen Servant and switches out of his penetent's robes before heading back towards the back of the servant's houses (relative to the eating area), keeping his head and back bent a bit with weariness, while looking for a reasonable spot to climb to a better vantage point on the festivities....


Spot: [roll0]


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: Unseen Servant

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[Hashmir]

His heart beating frantically, Nikolai sunk into the nearest dark corner he could find and removed his penitent's cloak. Suddenly, he remembered the message spell he had cast.

"Er, Klaus? Can you hear me?"

He nervously peeked out into the main path -- not knowing where else to go, he started towards the stable where they had been held.

Are there regular people around? That is, if the whole place is pretty much just guards and emptiness, I'll be sticking to the shadows and making sneak checks; if there are people, I'll just start walking.

[whoiam]

This is after dark and outdoors: Noone's out here unless they need to be. Some servants and some guards around the main body of pilgrims. There's people in each of the buildings you're passing, but the windows are only small (glass being expensive and all) and easy to avoid.

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"I can hear you. But I need to focus for the moment."

Out of the dining area, Klaus slips through the darkness, trying to locate the well and, almost as importantly, remain unseen at the same time.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai winced.

"Yeah, about that. Keith and I got out, and Ari got caught. The others are staying. I'm heading for the stables; where are you?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"It's to be expected, with so many people attempting such a maneuver. I'm heading towards the smithy; that's where Kuali went."

[whoiam]

For those of you who got away:
Heading via stables and smithy takes 5 Hide checks (against a DC of 10, failures mean an opposed roll vs whoever you are exposed to. Try not to fail roll 3) and two Move Silently checks (these are opposed).

Heading the opposite direction around the outside of the keep takes one less Hide check, and two more Move Silentlys.

Whichever way you roll for, I'll do the opposing rolls individually for each of you - unless you're planning to meet up first and travel together.

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus, unwilling to risk herself or the other false penitents by teaming up, sneaks her way towards the well alone.


Hide: [roll0]
Hide: [roll1]
Hide: [roll2]
Hide: [roll3]
Hide: [roll4]

Move Silently: [roll5]
Move Silently: [roll6]

[industrious]

Ari walks to the stables openly with the guard captain. Once at the stables, he begs the captain for a touch of privacy before heading inside.

[whoiam]

Klaus:
No opposed roll - thanks to the critical failure on your first hide check, you've been spotted. This invalidates the rest of the checks anyway.

Creeping silently forward, Klaus was making good progress through the darkness until, hearing a noise behind one of the servants' houses doors, she froze. Unfortunately, she froze... right in front of the door as it was opened, silouetting her in the light from inside.

The servant (some kind of maid, it seemed) let out a startled cry at the sight of the suspicious stranger loitering outside her door. Thankfully, the maid has no inclination to attack (mainly as she's not armed) and her immediate response is shock more than anything, so Klaus does have a round or so to respond.

Ari: The guard captain gives a nodded assent to your request, and lets you into the stable... and then hears a scream from back in the direction of the servants' houses. "You stay here!" He orders, and turns to run back the other way...

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus hisses in annoyance and snaps her fingers, making a quick gesture.


charm person
DC 14 Will save negates


"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am, for the interruption. I don't suppose you'd mind if I ducked in here for a moment and you suggested I'd run off when you screamed?"

[whoiam]

Klaus:
Will Save: [roll0]
Damned by the critical, saved by the critical.


The woman had been drawing in breath to scream again, then shut the door, and already deciding how best to portray her heroic struggle against invading hordes to her friends... when Klaus' spell hit. Without entirely understanding why she'd been ready to act so badly to her good friend.... whose name escaped her... she instead nodded and cleared the doorway. "Best come in quickly, miss - I reckon they'll be after you pretty soon."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Not seeing any particularly glaringly obvious ways to climb up to get a better look, Keith shrugs, and slinks off, keeping his penitent's robes out of sight in his pack, and doing his best to pretend to be a humble servant who labored much too long under his master's rod, a little fearful of what patrols the night, but just wanting to go get a drink from the well and go to bed. With this in mind, he heads towards the well, going around the back of the stables and the smithy.


Hide Checks: [roll0] [roll1] [roll2] [roll3] [roll4]
Move Silently Checks: [roll5] [roll6]
Bluff: [roll7]

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: Unseen Servant

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[industrious]

Slipping out the back door of the stables, Ari heads towards the well


2 Hide Checks
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Hashmir]

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

[roll5]
[roll6]

EDIT: Oh dear...

[whoiam]

Keith:

On a roll of 1-5, I'm letting you off the failed move silently roll.
[roll0]
And if you aren't excused, the Listen Check: [roll1]

The third hide check was vs the guard captain, who, due to his running around in armor, is making quite a lot of noise. If you make a DC10 Listen check, you'll have warning enough to avoid him.

Rolling the spot vs your final failed hide: [roll2]


Ari:

Spot vs your failed hide: [roll3]

Congratulations - the blacksmiths at the smithy completely fail to notice your passage, and you become the first member of the party to reach the vicinity of the well. You can see your elven contact sitting on the stone lip of the well, looking up at the stars and holding one hand to her neck, clenched around some sort of necklace.


Hashmir:

The third hide check was vs the guard captain. Since he's making so much noise right now, you can make a DC10 Listen check to hear him coming and take cover.

The three spot checks: [roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]

On a roll of 1-5, you get let off the failed move silently roll.
[roll7]
And the listen check for if you aren't let off:[roll8]

Barely past the first row of servant houses, you are caught in the light pouring out of an open window. Too late, you notice the presence of a head silouetted by the light. "Hey, what're you doing, sneaking around out there!"

[Hashmir]

Ok, rolling the Listen check against the guard just in case -- although have I even reached him, if I'm back at the beginning?

[roll0]

As for dealing with this person...

Ok, I'm going to see if these shiny Knowledge skills can be put to use. First, let's see if I can come up with some religious babble in the hopes of annoying them enough to leave me alone, yet sincere enough that they don't want to call the guards. Something like, "Have you heard the good news about our lord Pelor?"

The religion check is to see if I'm familiar enough with such groups to make it believable and hopefully buff my bluff check.

[roll1]

[whoiam]

Nickolai:
"One of those pilgrim types, eh? What are you doing about on your own? You should be with the others!"

You've successfully convinced him you're religious. You've yet to convince him you should actually be away from the others.

[Hashmir]

Putting on his most serene smile, Nikolai gestures gently in the direction of the stable.

"Brother Jakob forgot his book for the service after the meal. Would you care to join me in prayer ere I go?"

With that, he closed his eyes and began to recite a prayer to Pelor, holding his open hands out toward the servant.

Do I need to make a bluff check? If I do, and assuming no bonuses or penalties:

[roll0]

[whoiam]

Sense Motive check: [roll0]

"Well, you'd best get a move on, then. There's some sort of commotion going on, the guards won't bee too understanding if they see you wandering around." With that the head moved back out of view, to the accompaniment of a quiet muttering about 'those bloody religious nuts'. Safe to say this wasn't the devoutest of men.

[industrious]

As Ari looks around, he notices that he is alone with a beautiful elven woman. His shyness and stutter kick in as he is about to greet her.

"Heb...Hel...He..."

Closing his mouth and gathering his thoughts, the man finally manages to get his sentence out, bowing as he does so.

"Greetings, my lady. Ari Outis, at your service. I presume you are Kuali?" The dark-skinned man is blushing and fidgeting as he speaks.

[Hashmir]

His heart pounding, Nikolai exhales in relief. That was too close -- he really wasn't cut out for this. In any case, there nothing to do but try and get to the stables and off the street as soon as possible, so he continued.

Should I be rolling something, or is that all based on my previous rolls?

[whoiam]

Ari:

Kuali glances down, and smiles. "That's right. I was expecting your kenku though - did something go wrong?" Unclasping her hand, Ari would recieve a moment's view of a tiny necklace, whose centerpiece was a golden replica of a dragon. No guesses who that was meant to signify. Tucking the necklace under her top, she stood, and extended one hand to Ari. "Kuali Diapai. Duchess Kuali Diapai, technically. I even have a castle somewhere, although I cannot remember ever visiting it. My childhood was rather interesting... but that can wait for another time. What do you need from me?"

Nikolai:
It's all based on your previous rolls.

Moving on after his altercation with the servant, Nikolai finds himself - entirely by accident - in the same 'alley' as the guard captain. Who by now has his sword out, and a thunderous expression on his face. "You!" he calls. "Stop right there!" Nikolai has about a round before the captain reaches him.

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus slides inside, and chatters smoothly at the woman.

"I'm delighted to have met up with you here. This is such an improvement over the stables. It's kind of you to let me stop in here for a moment." She stops in the center of the hut and glances more fully at her momentary host. "Of course, one of the hazards of eating outside is I didn't dare trust the water. Do you know an out-of-the-way path to the well?"


Diplomacy just to ensure a longer-running sense of good feeling, as opposed to a sense of disorientation an hour later when the spell ends; also, to get some advice getting to the well: [roll0]

[whoiam]

Klaus:

"I'm afraid not, dearie. You have to go around the keep or through it, and the keep's guarded, so..." She spreads her hands wide and shrugs. "But if it's water you're concerned with, dearie, I've still got a good half a jug just over here by the fire..." Apparently determined not to be found wanting in terms of hospitality, the maid walks briskly over into her 'kitchen' area and starts rooting around for a clean cup.

Everyone that isn't Klaus, Ari, Keith or Nikolai:
You can't get moved back to the stables until the guard captain's made it back to you, so you get a day or two off while I deal with the escapees and their enormously unlucky stealth rolls;)

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"Don't worry overmuch about the cleanliness; almost anything would be better than what I've had access to. And I'm afraid I can't stay long, anyway. I do thank you deeply for your kindness, though."

[Hashmir]

Oh, come on.

As the guard began charging, Nikolai quickly closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he suddenly opened them and flung out his hand, coating the alley in front of the guard captain with grease. As soon as he was done, he turned and bolted in the opposite direction of the guard, hissing under his breath to his companion.

"Klaus? Klaus! I've got the captain of the freaking guard on me in the alley! Where are you?"

That would be a Grease spell, and if you're keeping track, it was a standard action followed by a 30 ft move. The grease will last for 1 round.

[industrious]

Still stuttering, Ari attempts to explain. The man has started to sweat, and his left eye is twitching.

"Wuh...we...we...gotseperated...sh...sh....should bbbe...r...arr....iving...sssss...n."

Gasping for air, he continues

"Soc...soc....rilii said....Socrilii ssssaid...you cou...could help...uuuss. Helllp us get into the arrrmory."

Flustered, Ari then attempts to apologize for his speech

"S...s...ssory ffffor the sssstutter. Nnn...not vvvery good...around wwwwwomen"

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith listens while traveling, and attempting to maintain his bluff. Unfortunately, he doesn't hear very well, and fails to avoid the guard captain....


Listen: [roll0]

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[whoiam]

Guard Captin's Reflex Save: [roll0]

[whoiam]

Nikolai and Keith:
The guard captain trips on the grease as expected, and the moments he needs to come back to his feet allow Nikolai time to turn tail and run. The Captain's expected persuit is interrupted by the arrival of Keith on the scene - the captain's now personally seen three of the group attempting to sneak around. In time, he might get suspicious about why so many people were sneaking off at once, but for now, his relatively low INT keeps him from noticing anything other than the immediate problem.

Unfortunately for Keith, the two guards from the front gate in the outer wall have caught up with the captain by now, and all three soldiers are advancing on him as a group. "So, what are you doing out here, then?" The Captain's tone is decidedly unfriendly, but at least he's approaching at a walk - the grease-induced fall having convinced him to display at least a little caution in dealing with the intruders.

Klaus:
Picking one cup and dipping it into the jug, the maid presents the beaker full of water to her 'guest'. "Not staying long? Why, whatever is the rush, dearie? It's the night already, there's no reason to rush about anymore..." A slightly cunning look spreads over the maid's face. "Oooh, but a charming young thing like you's probably got some strapping young lad waiting for you in a nice, secluded spot, right?" She grind broadly and winks. "Say no more, say no more. We can't have you being late for your 'important meeting', can we?"

Ari:
"Perhaps leading you into the armoury isn't such a good idea" Kuali muses to herself. "I'm not trying to be offensive here, but I get the feeling you aren't as good at sneaking around as some are." She pauses a moment in reflection. "Still, if you're all to be armed, it would be too slow and too risky for me to do shuttle runs, so group insertion it is. Yes, I can get you in. The questions are, how many of you need to go in, and when?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus may be physically incapable of blushing, but she ducks her head and glances away from her new friend as she accepts the cup and sips at it only somewhat quickly. When she finishes, she hands the cup back and nods at the woman.

"I really oughtn't tarry, or my...friend will worry where I've got to. Still, thank you for the hospitality," she says at the door, and barring further conversation, moves to leave and further sneak towards the well.

When she's out of immediate hearing of the woman, she whispers in reply, "I'm afraid nowhere to be of help. Still, if you hold their attention, those of us still free may have a better chance of remaining concealed."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith, in the street clothes he switched to after leaving the group of penitents, maintains his 'exhausted servant' routine as best he can with his hunched shoulders, half-closed eyelids, and slightly slurred speech. In the meanwhile, he silently directs his unseen servant to rustle a roof a short distance away.

"I's off to get a drink, from the well, a'fore goin' to bed."


Bluff: [roll0]

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

Edit: And apparently, I'm not rolling well today. Oh well.

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

“You! Stop right there!”

In the blink of an eye, between the time that the guard captain’s shouted “You!” and the conclusion of his sentence, the young paladin throws himself onto his feet and leaps over the table, sprinting in the direction of the commotion.

As he darts past the ring of guards, he shouts apologetically,

“On my honor as a follower of Pelor and his servant Mayaheine, I swear to return momentarily, and I will do my best to return with the troublemakers!”

Richard follows the sounds of trouble—the guard captain slipping and shouting, the patter of feet—across the small space of the castle courtyard, and appears behind the guard captain as he demands to know what the “penitents” are up to.

Richard boldly shrugs his way between the guards and sprints towards Nikolai. Before Nikolai can even speak a word, Richard promptly punches him in the face.

Surprise Round!

[whoiam]

Sense Motive check: [roll0]

Keith succeeded, barely, in convincing the captain of his being a servant. This despite the captain knowing the servants relatively well: It's dark, the captain's a snob who doesn't like associating with the 'lower orders', and he's distracted by Richard's well-meaning, but unfortunately timed, arrival.

Which is why Richard's strike at Keith earns him the attention of four swordsmen. Not striking, as such - but there are four blades pointing at him and the captain's voice speaking for the lot, as he says "Up against the wall, 'pilgrim'. That sort of mischief isn't tolerated around here..."

[Barbarian MD]

After punching NIKOLAI (and hopefully knocking him out), Richard turns to the guards and offers a bow, pointedly ignoring KEITH.

"My apologies for interfering, my lords. I noticed the departure of this miscreant, and I feared that he would cause trouble or hurt someone or himself be hurt. I regret that I used violence, but I feared he would run and someone might actually be hurt.

"He shall likely be out for some time, my lords. I hate that we have interposed on you already, and if you will permit me, we will interpose no more. I can see him back to the stables and ensure he does not wander off alone again.

"I ask that you decide soon, lest the guards at the fire doubt my word that I would return to dinner and trouble themselves with searching for me."

[industrious]

Growing somewhat more confident after spending a little time with the elf, and knowing that he is on somewhat familiar ground here, Ari quickly summarizes his plan.

"Bbb...because of the chaos, n...nnnow or clse to it seems a...a...gg...ood time. I w...wi...will carry the weapons, and hhhide them in the stables. Th...the...there are f...fi...seven of us, so I'd get as many dagggggg...dag....daggers, and...fffoursw...swords for the more mmmmartial of us. Wwwwwhhh...aht dddo you think?"

[whoiam]

Apologies for the case of mistaken identity: I'm trying to DM a game some time after midnight. I'm not as alert as I could be:(

By the time Richard reaches Nikolai, Nikolai's already out of sight from the guards (who were delayed in their persuit by the arrival of Keith). If he knocks Nikolai out (which requires either a)Nikolai to decide he's going down in one punch or b)the two of you to roll out the altercation) or persuades Nikolai to turn himself in, then they can return to the guards.

It only took one turn - 6 seconds - from the guard captain shouting to Nikolai being out of sight around a corner. Richard couldn't get to him faster than that without a teleport.

Incidentally, I'm not posting as Kuali or the guards again tonight. It's late, I needs me my sleep!

[Barbarian MD]

As Richard comes to a panting stop behind the guards, Keith's convincing response causes him to pause and reevaluate his plan.

"Pardon me, my lords." Getting their attention, he offers a deep bow.

"I heard shouting, and feared that one of our number was causing problems. I rushed here as quickly as I could, lest some violence be committed."

Seeing on their faces the outrage at another escapee, he tries to assure them: "Please do not worry--I told the men at dinner where I was going, and I plan to return there as soon as I have your leave.

"However, I wonder if I might be of assistance to you."

I'd talk more, but I'm in class typing on my phone. Diplomacy check in the OOC thread. A 15. Could have been better, but it'll knock them up from unfriendly to neutral or neutral to friendly, which is something.

[whoiam]

Ari:
"If there are any more of your fellows coming, perhaps we should wait? I wouldn't want them to think I just skipped out on our rendezous..."

Richard and Keith:
The guard captain looks first at Keith (whom he believes, for most of the reasons the last time he fell for this), and then at Richard. Somewhere in the back of his mind is the thought that this all seemed mighty suspicious, these goings-on... Unfortunately, the piece of true, rational scepticism at the back of his mind is being crowded out by the goings-on at the front.Ask Kuali about that;) So he resolves to resolve this situation in the fastest way possible. "You, on your way" Addressed to Keith. "And you, you're coming back with us." Gesturing for the three soldiers he'd collected to escort Richard, The Captain started marching them back to the dining area. He'd collect the rest of the pilgrims, stick them back into the stables, and lock down the keep for the night. That would be enough to count as discharging his duty.

[Barbarian MD]

Richard bows again.

"As you say, my lord."

He follows peacefully, but he wishes he could have at least gleaned some information from this encounter about the guard captain's state of mind and plans.

[Hashmir]

Rattled from the encounter with the guard captain, and from having to walk straight past the last guard, Nikolai finally reaches the well and sits down. As he leans back, one can see that his hands are still shaking.

As Anya hops back over to his shoulder, he looks up at the others.

"Well, that kind of worked. I guess."

[appending_doom]

Klaus

The kenku appears out of the darkness, walking nonchalantly before sitting at the well's edge.

"I'm sorry for the delay, ma'am," she says. "I'm unused to overt stealth, so I had to make a new friend to avoid notice." She nods to those already there. "Nicolai. Ari. Are the others coming, do we know?"

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

"M'lord yes M'lord."

Keith, still in street clothing, nods and bows his way off from the gaurd captain, continuing his trip to the well ...


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[industrious]

"Greetings, Keith. Do you know if anybody else will be arriving? We are planning to head to the armory soon."

Moving closer to the man, Ari whispers "Could you ask Kuali about what she said to the guard earlier, at the stables? I would, but I can't talk to her."

[whoiam]

"Well, four of you should definitely be enough to carry weapons for seven. There's some armor in there as well, but it's not exactly great quality. Anyway... if this is all we're expecting tonight, wait here a minute."

Kuali was somewhat slower than she said she would be - two or three minutes at least - before returning, dragging an inebriated (and unconscious) guard along with her. "Slipped him a bottle of whiskey before my performance tonight." She seemed quite amused as she recounted this. "I've had a couple of weeks to get used to this place. Few of the guards here take their duties all that seriously. Why would they? There's dragons less than an hour's flight from here - no-one wants to invade this place." A touch of laughter before she returns to being serious. "I'll lead you in, one at a time. It's not that unusual to see me walking around at night with someone who really shouldn't be up, so we just waltz on in there. The armory is not locked - Well, it is, but with a key I have a copy of. All we have to do is make sure no-one sees me letting you in, and we'll be fine. So, who wants in first?"

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith has his Unseen Servant fetch some water out of the well while he listens to Kuali - after all, he did tell a guard that's what he was up and about for....

"I suppose I'll go first. I don't suppose they have uniforms as well, do they? It might be useful if we could blend in with the guard at a glance."


HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[whoiam]

"There's thirty of them. A uniform isn't going to cut it." A faint shrug - it was a good idea, just applied to too select a group. "Just stick to any clothing that isn't penitent's robes and you can probably convince them you're a servant. Noone ever pays attention to the servants." Offering her hand to Keith, she would (if not interrupted or questioned further) begin to lead him inside.

Keith:
There are a handful of people walking the corridors, but none of them gives Keith a second glance - Kuali walking hand-in-hand with someone is such a familiar sight that they pay it no mind.

The armory's reached easily enough. Kuali was as good as her word with the key, easing the door opening, ushering Keith in, then closing and locking it behind him so she could return to fetch the next person.

Looking around the armory, he would either discover that a)he really should have asked for a torch (if he has no means of light...that he's willing to use) or b)A selection of weapons of average quality and maintenance, totalling:

Every Simple Weapon x5 (or more)
Spears (many, many spears)
Short Swords (many, many short swords)
Short Bows (about a dozen)
Arrows (50 full quivers)
Long Bows (2)
Crossbows (Heavy only, x5)
Bolts (10 full quarrels)
Chain Shirts (There's 30 racks for Chain Shirts, but only five are still present. The rest must currently be in use)
Two additional, although empty, armor racks.


A few minutes after leaving, Kuali returns to the well. "Who's next?"

[Hashmir]

Nikolai stepped up and raised his hand.

"Righto, that would be me."

He appeared to have recovered from his earlier nerves.

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

In the darkness, Keith shrugs, and casts a simple light spell to illuminate the area. Looking around, he nods, and starts to pick up a longbow, a quiver of arrows, a chain shirt, a longspear, a dagger, and a morningstar ... but then considers for a minute, puts everything back, and looks around for a nice secluded place where he can sit and wait, out of sight, and covers his light so that it does not give away his position.


No particular shortage of time, so taking 20 on a Hide check, for a result of 22.

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: Light

Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=157403)

[whoiam]

Right, time for the first official hiatus!

Okay, so it's only a couple of days. I'm booked into a scuba diving course this weekend and next, and so won't be around computers for once. This means that the game will get moving again on monday.

In the meantime, assume that Kuali's gotten you all into the armoury. While she was doing that, the guards have moved the pilgrims back into the stables (so they're free to check around the grounds for the 'intruder', then call it a night and go to bed).

Kuali warns you all that there's probably not time to get the things back into the stable before the guards are in the way, so when I'm back posting on Monday, you'll have a chance to go over how you're going to deal with weapons in the absence of the obvious hiding place.

And for those of you who didn't escape, monday will see you moved back into the stables with the rest to await the morning;)

[whoiam]

Alright, game resumes... well, as soon as you notice this message.

Keith, Nikolai, Klaus and Ari are all in the armoury with Kuali, and are free to help themselves to the contents if they wish.

Richard, Cold Stone and Darius are still with the pilgrims, and on my next post are heading back to the stables.

Oh... and glance over at the OOC thread for a partial map.

[industrious]

Ari looks over the weapons, finally selecting a short sword, a longbow and quiver, and a chain shirt for himself.

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Klaus examines the weapons and armor; she briefly lingers over a crossbow before shaking her head and leaving everything alone.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai looked at the array of weapons and was struck with a slight sense of panic. Most of this stuff would really hurt, and it looked like most of the really nasty stuff wasn't even here -- which meant the guards were carrying them. He really, really hoped he wouldn't have to fight anyone with any of this.

He debated whether to grab a chain shirt for a minute, then tried one on. Moving his arms around experimentally, he quickly realized that it would make casting a right pain in the ass. As he put it back on the shelf, he made a mental note to surrender to anyone before they started shooting at him.

Looking back over the other weapons, he saw a rather nicely made quarterstaff. Moving it around, he decided that he rather liked it. It was a lot like his old walking sticks, and it might be able to stop a blade -- Nikolai shuddered at the thought, and decided that they should move on before he had the chance to psyche himself out any more.

"So, uh, guys, I guess we're gonna head out, then?"

[whoiam]

Inside the Keep:

"Well, then... is there anything else you need from me? Before you try and sneak back to rejoin your friends, I mean?" Kuali had, at least, been good enough to remain with her 'allies', just in case they needed help getting back out of the keep or looking around it.


Outside the Keep:
The captain had returned, and now, under the sheer force of his impatience, the pilgrims were moving again. The guards were forming a thin screen around the group: It would not be possible to detach from the rest without any element of risk, but as you pass the rows of servants' houses, there would be chances to drop out the side of the column. If you were good enough... or lucky enough.
Hide check to drop out the column and hide until the rest have passed, add a move silently to sneak away before the column is done passing.

Those who remained with the group would find themselves unceremoniously dumped back into the stables, and the doors locked for the night. Still only two guards (a different pair this time), one at each door. The other pilgrims were settling down for the night, and a little patience would leave only the guards - and anyone who had a particular reason to remain awake - conscious.